Redemption among the radiation
by Curtain Jerker
Summary: Hey all. This is a Fallout 3 fanfic that I sorta threw together on a whim. It takes place right after "The Waters Of Life" quest ends and the Lone Wanderer (named Jacen) makes it back to Megaton. Any feedback/reviews are more than welcome! Thanks in advance for reading and I hope you enjoy it. (Disclaimer - I own none of the Fallout 3 universe nor its inhabitants)
1. A plasma pistol

Jacen pushed open the door of the small shop and entered slowly, giving his eyes enough time to adjust from the bright sunshine outside. Taking his sunglasses off he walked up to the counter, nodding once at the guard standing across from him. The guard knew him by sight, but still eyed him as he eyed everyone who had business at the Craterside Supply, the best store in the village of Megaton. _The ONLY store,_ Jacen thought wryly, _but it suits my needs._

Jacen noticed a woman behind the counter, nearly bent in two examining something on the counter. Walking up across from her, Jacen stopped a few feet away, careful not to make any sounds. Walking the Wasteland gave him lots of practice at stepping so no one could hear.

"Where did you get a power armor helmet?" he asked softly so not to startle to woman, who was lost in her own world looking at the helmet.

"Oh!" she replied with a start, standing straight up. "Jacen! Hadn't seen you for, what, a week?" she said with a broad smile. Moira Brown always smiled, and no matter how down Jacen was, her smile made him a little bit happier.

 _I need that happiness today,_ he thought to himself, burying his emotion behind a small ghost of a smile. "Oh, you know," he said softly, running his fingers though his short dark hair, "I discovered an old garage out west then decided to stay at Tenpenny for a bit. Don't worry; I saved you the best thing I found."

"Oh oh what did you bring me?!" Moira squealed, which brought another half-smile to Jacen's somber attitude.

"You really are like a kid on Christmas morning whenever I come here, you know that?"

"Well, you _are_ a great assistant, and you _do_ bring me all sorts of goodies to play with, so why wouldn't I be happy to see you, silly?" Jacen actually chuckled out loud at that last comment.

"You are like the little sister I never had, you know that?"

"I'm older than you though," Moira said confused. "So I guess that makes you my little brother. A little brother with custom-made combat armor and enough guns to start a war, but a little brother either way," she replied with another smile.

"I'll take it either way Moira. Now do you want to see the toys I've brought you?"

"Yes! Stop teasing Jacen! That isn't very nice, "Moira pouted, and Jacen laughed again. _First time I've laughed in days,_ he thought sadly. _I knew coming here and talking shop with Moira would make me feel better._

"Close your eyes big sister," Jacen demanded slyly, and Moira did as she was told without hesitation.

"Open 'em," he said softly.

"Whoa! Where did you get a plasma pistol?!" Moira shouted as she grabbed the pistol, held it up to an old ceiling lamp and turned it in the light, turning it every direction to try and get as close a look as possible. She even looked straight down the green barrel.

Suddenly a flash of panic set in on her beaming face. "It isn't loaded, is it?" she said with a start, as if the thought had just hit her that she was literally staring down a loaded gun barrel.

"Nope. I stripped it outside of town. You are perfectly safe…well, as safe as anything in this hell could be," Jacen said wistfully, the sadness of the past few days threatening to overtake him again before he forced it down into the pits of his soul.

"Are you ok Jacen?" Moira asked, concern framing her face.

"Just tired and looking forward to my own bed is all," Jacen quickly replied, and Moira bought the lie wholesale as Jacen felt a small twinge of guilt at lying to a good friend.

"So how much for it?" Jacen asked, eager to get back home.

"Now we're talking!" Moira declared. "The only thing she loved more than science was haggling, and the two got right to business.

A few minutes later, Jacen walked out of Crateside Supply with, well, supplies. Spare parts to fix his rifles and armor. A few full clips of ammo for his trusty submachine gun. A couple days of food, including fairly fresh Brahmin steaks that looked halfway decent. Bobby pins, grenades, pure water and even a pre-war book for his collection completed the take.

Jacen made his way up the hill toward the main entrance as the sun began to set over the metal walls of Megaton, casting long shadows on his path. Fortunately, no one saw as Jacen made his way home. _I love the people here, but I don't really want to be bothered tonight,_ he thought to himself as he used his key and entered his house.

"Good to see you alive and well sir!" came the robotic voice only moments after he closed the door behind him.

"You too Wadsworth. I trust things are going well in my absence?" Jacen asked as he locked the door and armed the security system that he'd bought from Tenpenny Tower a few weeks prior.

"Of course sir, I tidied up while you were gone, and even managed to distill a few pints of water like you asked me to," the butler replied, hovering a few feet away at the foot of the stairs.

"Excellent, thanks Wadsworth," Jacen replied softly. "You may shut down for the evening. I'm gonna undress, cook a little dinner and retire early myself."

"Of course sir. I'll be in the back room," Wadsworth replied, hovering his way up the stairs.

Jacen signed. _Alone at last,_ he thought to himself, taking off his various guns and weapons and stacking them against the long wooden picnic table in the center of the main room on the first floor that he bought at Craterside Supply. The table was lined with weapons, from an old baseball bat that Jacen had had since he was a boy to top-of-the-line energy weapons he'd salvaged while exploring the Capital Wasteland, and seemingly every other death-dealer he could find in between.

Taking off his armor and nearly stacking it on the floor next to the picnic table, Jacen put on a pair of old athletic shorts he'd found for sale in Rivet City that were perfect to hang around his house in, and began cooking the Brahmin steak with a can of beans on the stove in the small kitchenette under the stairs.

Finishing his meal – the steak was a little tough, but otherwise it was fine – he double-checked the locks and security system before heading up the stairs to the second floor. Megaton was a safe town – Lucas Simms saw to that – but Jacen always doubled-checked regardless. He had, conservatively, several thousand bottle caps worth of weapons, armor, artifacts and items in the house, and only a fool trusted other people for security in the Wasteland.

He climbed each stair slower than the last as his sadness and grief began to overwhelm him as he climbed. He slowly trudged to the master bedroom. Reaching into a desk drawer opposite the door, he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and took a long pull, feeling the burn travel down his throat and warm his core before capping the bottle and sitting on the bed, surrounded by more relics of his successful explorations – books, magazines, ammo, other odds and ends from months of wandering the Wasteland.

There, surrounded by artifacts and relics, his grief and sadness finally overwhelmed him, and Jacen started crying. Softly at first, but the tears came faster, until he was curled up in a ball on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

He eventually cried himself to sleep, where he dreamed the same dream he had every night since escaping Project Purity a few nights prior.

It always started the same way. Jacen was watching himself walk into Project Purity's control room at the center of the pre-war Jefferson Monument, and he saw his dad James behind a thick pane of glass. A man with a rough Southern accent and a pistol was barking orders, and Jacen's dad, no more than ten feet away but separated by the glass in the control room, was trying to diffuse the situation.

Jacen's subconscious dreaded this next part: The Southerner, a man Jacen later learned was called Autumn, asked James again to activate the project and help something called the Enclave take it over. James again, in that soft Irish voice, told Autumn he wouldn't help him or his Enclave.

Jacen knew what happened next because he saw it every time he closed his eyes.

Autumn, tired of "asking," turned and shot Dr. Janice out of nowhere in the midsection. Jacen could still see the blood pool underneath her dying body. Jacen's dad – realizing the endgame – activated the Project which flooded the control room with deadly radiation, killing him and the others and giving Jacen a chance to escape.

"Run, Run!" James yelled as the radiation overcame him.

Jacen woke up with a start, as he always did when that part of the dream came up. He rubbed his hands though his hair as he sat alone in the bed.

"I couldn't save him, or any of them," he whimpered softly, the guilt overwhelming him again as he eventually entered a fitful sleep.

 _ **Author's Note: I am going on vacation Friday 7/10 for a week plus. I will try and post chapter 2 before I leave, but no promises. If not, I'll post it when I get back. Thanks for understanding!**_


	2. The message

**Chapter 2**

Jacen woke with a start as the sun streaked in through the open spaces in-between the metal slabs that made up his house. He sat up and reached across the desk to his Pip-Boy 3000 that was laying on the desk right next to the bed.

"Fuck, 930 already…" he muttered to himself. "How long was I asleep for?" he asked no one in particular as he swung himself out of bed and stretched a bit, working to get the kinks out that months of exploring the Wasteland left in his joints.

Tabbing through the Pip-Boy, he cycled over to the radio section when he saw a new frequency. "Hmmmm…'Vault 101 Emergency Frequency'…what the hell is this?" Jacen muttered to himself as he read the small green display.

Flipping over to the channel he listened to a voice he had tried to forget. The message began with an automated message, but then her voice took over, and the feelings he thought he'd buried out in the Wasteland returned with a vengeance.

"This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec: Vault 101. Message begins…" Here her voice took over from the automated, robotic tone. "It feels like you left home a long time ago, but I know you're still out there. I just hope you're still alive to hear this. Things got worse after you left. My father's gone made with power. If you can hear this, please stop looking for your dad and help stop mine. I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and if you still care enough to help me, you should remember it."

Jacen rubbed his hands through his hair as the message played on loop over and over again. After the third listening he opened up his desk drawer and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He slowly sipped it as he listened to Amata Almodovar's voice beg him for help over and over.

Jacen turned off the radio and poured himself another heavy glass of whiskey while he decided what to do. On the one hand, it was only about an hour's walk from Megaton to Vault 101, and he'd be able to collect a few things from his old living quarters that he'd forgotten to grab in the mad panic that was the night he broke out months ago. On the other hand, his last memory of Vault 101 was being shot at by the Overseer's overzealous security guards as he was running for the exit.

"Well, you _did_ kill one of them, to be fair," he said to himself, feeling the effects of the whiskey on his empty stomach. "No wonder they tried to kill you back." The truth was, once the Overseer branded him an outlaw of the Vault, the security guards would have tried to kill him on sight regardless of any actions Jacen took the night he broke out.

"Killing that prick Mack was icing on the cake, not gonna lie," Jacen muttered to himself with a small smile as he got more and more drunk. He talked to himself a lot, especially when he'd been drinking.

Jacen drained his glass and decided against pouring another one. It wasn't his nature to sit around and drink himself into a stupor, but his thoughts grew cloudy when Amata was involved. The truth was, she was the biggest reason he was even thinking about heading back to Vault 101 and diving back into a world he literally ran away from months ago.

"Of all the people you've helped, for good and for ill, how could you not help her?" he said to no one in particular as he ran his hands though his hair.

Looking at the date on his Pip-Boy, Jacen sighed. _How have I only been gone a few months?_ he thought to himself as he walked down the stairs and started putting on his Combat Armor. _Feels like a lifetime ago._

Time moved strangely in the Wasteland. The lack of seasons – an aftereffect of the Great War – meant that it was always warm and always dry, so there was no way to really tell how many days passed without a calendar. Jacen had been only out of the Vault a few months, but he'd lived a lifetime and then some since his escape.

Strapping on his armor, he rubbed his hands together while looking over his arsenal, evaluating what weapons to take with him on his trip to the Vault. _God willing I won't need any once I enter the Vault proper,_ he thought to himself as he strapped on his submachine gun on one hip, a combat knife on the other and his long-range hunting rifle on his back. _No need for the energy weapons, just a waste of ammo I'll need later._ He packed up a few clips for each gun, a couple bottles of water, some stimpacks and a few dozen bottle caps in a knapsack.

Leaving his house he realized how hungry – and buzzed – he was, so Jacen made his way down the crater to the Brass Lantern, a stone's throw from the atomic bomb that gave Megaton its name, and the best place in town for actual food that didn't come out of a two-hundred-year-old box.

"Jacen! How have you been dear, haven't seen you in a bit!" Jenny Stahl, one of the owners of the restaurant, said with a smile. _People here really do like me,_ Jacen thought with a bit of wonder as he smiled back and took a seat at the outdoor counter. It wasn't that long ago that he was a scared boy wandering Megaton with salvaged Vault 101 security gear and a half-broken police baton. _Now look at me…I'm a fucking badass,_ he allowed himself a small smile while reading the specials on a blackboard on the other side of the counter.

"I'm good Jenny, thanks," Jacen replied as he scanned the menu. "Can I get a plate of noodles and a glass of water?"

"Purifier was acting up a few days ago, should be ok now, but I can't promise it will be rad-free water…or noodles for that matter," Jenny answered with a sigh.

"Life is a gamble here in the Capital Wasterland, Jenny, I'll take my chances with the water."

"You got it hon. Give me a few and it'll be up."

Jenny wasn't kidding – only took a few more minutes for Jacen's breakfast to be served. Jacen passed his Pip-Boy over the bowl and accompanying glass of water. The built-in Geiger counter didn't crackle, so Jacen dug in. The food was a little salty – most Wasteland food was salty, either from the preservatives in the Pre-War packaging or because salt was the only real way to preserve fresh food these days.

Jacen learned on his travels that electricity was rare enough that only the largest settlements could afford it, and even places that had power didn't always have it full-time, so refrigeration was usually not practical. _Hence the salt,_ he thought to himself. At this point he was used to the salt; it was as much a part of day-to-day Wasteland existence as the raiders and Super Mutants.

Jacen finished his meal, threw a few caps on the counter and headed towards the large gates at the north end of town. Jacen waited for the gates to open and pulled his hunting rifle from its resting place on his back. _Only a fool walked the Wasteland without a weapon in hand,_ he thought bitterly as he started the walk back to Vault 101.

Jacen walked with a purpose, but still tried to remain somewhat hidden as he darted through the Pre-War town of Springvale. Jacen remembered the first time he was her, his head still spinning from his successful escape of Vault 101. He'd been back since, and more or less salvaged everything of value in and around the bombed-out houses on his last visit.

He gave the school, situated to the north of the town, a wide berth as the sun reached its high point in a cloudless sky. He'd cleaned out the school as well, encountering some especially greedy – and stupid – raiders a few weeks back. Turns out they tried to tunnel into Vault 101 before they encountered a giant ant colony. Several raiders were ripped to bits by the insects before Jacen even came onto the scene. The school didn't have much of value, besides a few Nuka-Cola Quantums and some halfway decent weaponry, but every little bit of trash was someone's – _usually Moira's –_ treasure out here.

After another half-hour or so of uneventful walking, Jacen found the small door that led to the Vault's entrance. Pulling it open, he took off his sunglasses and put them in their specially-designed metal case in his knapsack so they wouldn't shatter. He wouldn't need them here.

Giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the light, he made his way down the tunnel, memories and even a fair bit of nostalgia flooding his being. Life in the Vault wasn't great during the best of times – few people, constant work and boredom were only a few of the problems, but it was safe, and the list of truly safe places in the Wasteland could be counted on one hand with fingers to spare.

The Vault Dwellers were lucky. Thing is, none of them really knew _how_ lucky. Jacen remembered his shock and horror when he encountered raiders, ghouls and Super Mutants for the first time. That shock quickly dissipated as Jacen realized the number one rule of the Wasteland: just about everything out here is trying to kill you.

That rule was something the people on the other side of the multi-ton steel and lead door not only didn't have to know, but would never have to know. Because as bad as Vault 101 was – and Amata's message indicated that it was pretty bad – life in the Wasteland could be worse.

On the other hand, Jacen knew first-hand how tyrannical and oppressive the Overseer could be, so he certainly didn't blame anyone who wanted to follow in his footsteps and escape.

 _Just keep an open mind, see what's going on and get the hell out without killing anyone,_ he told himself silently as he walked up to the giant steel door. A small keyboard popped out of the Vault itself just to the left of where the door swung open.

Jacen grabbed the keyboard and slowly entered Amata's name, then hit enter. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until the large Vault door began to groan and slide open.

Jacen stood in front of the open door for a few long minutes, gathering his thoughts. "No time like the present," he muttered as he stepped back into the Vault.


	3. A homecoming of sorts

The air felt…different…inside the Vault as Jacen took his first steps inside. _Maybe it was the tension?_ he thought to himself as he kept his hand on his un-holstered submachine gun, but kept it in his right hand down by his waist instead of drawing it up. He'd become a good enough of a draw that if need be he could raise his arm and fire off a burst of bullets accurately enough.

He'd walked a few more tentative steps inside when he saw a man peering out at him. "Alright stop, I don't know who you are or how you managed to open the…" the man started ordering as he walked toward Jacen, his service pistol at the ready. His close-cropped grey hair and crow's feet around the eyes marked him an older man, one that Jacen had seen before.

"Jacen?" the man said as he finally recognized him. "Didn't recognize you with all the dirt and dust from out there all over you," he declared in a warm voice.

"Officer Gomez," Jacen replied in a somewhat clipped tone. "Good to see you survived the…last night I was here."

"What are you doing here Jacen?" Gomez asked. "The Overseer probably still wants you dead. Aren't you better off staying the hell away?"

"Probably, but I got a message from Amata saying that this place more or less was in open revolt, and that I should come back and help stop her father," Jacen began. "So I figured I'd stop by, see how the old place was doing, and maybe try some of the baked goods or something."

Gomez chuckled. "Always with the jokes Jacen...either way, I should take you to the Overseer, but…"

"But what?" Jacen asked.

"If you wanted to leave now, I'd forget I saw you."

Jacen holstered his submachine gun. "Before I make that call, can you tell me what is going on here? Amata's message seemed pretty urgent; otherwise I wouldn't have bothered coming back."

"Where to begin?" Gomez sighed, holstering his own pistol. "After you and your father got out, the Overseer locked this place down, even worse than before, in the interest of safety and security. For a while, we all went along with it. Then, Amata and the kids decided to try and contact the outside world, saying we needed supplies to fix the machinery down here."

"Sounds about right…a lot of that stuff was falling apart years ago," Jacen offered.

"The Overseer though he was right, and Amata and her group thought they were right, and things spiraled out of control. Now we are in two armed camps, the Overseer and most of the older adults on the upper level, Amata and the young adults are holed up in your father's old clinic."

Jacen thought for a bit. "Ok, just so I have a handle on everything: The Overseer wants to keep this place closed forever, and Amata wants to open up the Vault to traders to resupply this place? And now they're at war?"

"That's about right," Gomez answered with a nod.

"Any casualties?"

"None yet, thank God."

"Well, as much as I'm gonna regret this, I'd better go talk to the Overseer first while I'm up here, then I can head down below and talk to Amata, get their sides of the story."

"You're going to help us? After we tried to kill you?"

"If Amata wasn't involved I wouldn't be here, but..she…" Jacen's voice trailed off mid-sentence.

Gomez smiled. "I know that look Jacen."

"What look is that?"

"The same look I have when I talk about my Pepper," Gomez kept smiling. "You're in love, boy."

Jacen didn't argue. In fact, he was silent for a moment as he thought about Gomez's words and rolled them around the inside of his head for a bit. "Maybe," he honestly answered. "I've been trying to forget about her – and the rest of you – since the day I left. Hearing her voice again…"

"I get it Jacen. Go see the Overseer."

Jacen nodded and started walking toward the inside of the Vault.

"Oh Jacen," Gomez called as he was walking away.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning back around.

"Easy for me to say, but don't let your…feelings…for Amata lead you and the rest of us into a bad decision."

Jacen smiled. "All I'm going to do is talk to her dad and her. I'll let them make the decisions, not me. Remember, I don't even live here."

"Good luck Jacen"

"Thanks Officer Gomez. Appreciate the help," Jacen replied sincerely as he kept walking away from the entrance and towards the Vault proper.

Jacen walked up the stairs to the main level, keeping his right hand near his submachine gun in case he had to quick-draw and fire. _I REALLY don't want to have to kill anyone,_ he thought to himself as he scanned the empty hallways.

He entered the Vault's main atrium and looked around. _Darker than I remember,_ he thought. His eyes fell on a banner that read "Thank You Overseer!" That banner had been part of Vault 101's atrium since as long as Jacen could remember. However, someone had crossed out the "Thank" part and replaced it with "Fuck" so it read "Fuck You Overseer!" Jacen chuckled softly as he saw a security guard on patrol.

Before the guard could see him, a young man walked into the atrium from the lower level.

"Taylor!" the young man yelled. _Freddie Gomez?_ Jacen thought as he looked at the young man. _It IS Freddie,_ he decided. The hair and especially the leather jacket were dead giveaways. "I'm breaking out of this tomb!" Freddie continued.

"You are not boy," the security guard answered with a shaky voice. "Don't make me shoot you!"

Jacen silently un-holstered his submachine gun and held it up in front of him as he hid behind a support pillar. He didn't particularly care if either Freddie or the guard died, he just wanted to make sure if bullets started flying he was ready to return fire.

"Stop!" the guard ordered again, raising his pistol. Freddie kept running, and even pulled out some sort of weapon. Jacen could just see the light gleam off an edge. _This could get bad,_ he thought as he raised his pistol.

The guard fired a few shots, which froze Freddie in his tracks. "You're crazy man!" he yelled as he turned around and ran back down the stairs to the lower level.

Jacen stood up and walked into the atrium. "Nice shooting," he commented, keeping his unholstered gun in his hand down on his side.

The guard spun around and kept his pistol raised. "Who the hell…Jacen? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice shooting Taylor," Jacen repeated. "Unless, of course, you tried to kill him and flat-out missed. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you missed on purpose just to scare the greaser."

Taylor kept his gun pointed at Jacen. "My wife is dead because of you, and you keep insulting me?"

"Your wife is dead because she was old. I didn't make her old, and I certainly didn't bring the radroaches the night I broke out."

"What the hell do you want boy?" Taylor replied with an edge, keeping his gun pointed at Jacen's chest. _The Combat Armor SHOULD stop most of the damage, but I don't really want to repair it again, so I'd better not get shot,_ he thought to himself quickly, making the kind of mental calculus that all Wasteland veterans made on an hourly basis.

"Put the gun down old man," Jacen began in a calm and even tone. "I know firsthand how ineffective your armor actually is against these 10mm rounds." He motioned his head to his right side, where Taylor saw Jacen holding his submachine gun. "I'm going to see the Overseer, then Amata, and then I'm leaving this place for good. Heard you guys and ladies are having a bit of a…civil disturbance."

Taylor thought for a second and lowered his sidearm. "Those damn kids don't get it," he said with exasperation.

"Don't get what?" Jacen asked curiously, still keeping half an eye on Taylor's sidearm.

"How dangerous it is out there. You of all people should know that. Talk some sense into them before they get us all killed!"

"I won't argue with that, but it isn't my place to convince anyone anything," Jacen said after a moment's thought.

"Then what _are_ you doing here?" Taylor asked, genuine wonder in his voice.

"God knows, to be honest," Jacen said with a sly grin. "I better go see the Overseer. Radio him and tell him to expect me so he doesn't try and shoot me, if you don't mind?"

Taylor did just that as Jacen slowly climbed the steps to the Overseer's office. He didn't realize his hands were twitching until the third or fourth step. _What the hell?_ he thought to himself, mentally calming his nerves. _I've gone toe-to-toe with Super Mutants and half of Talon Company, why am I scared of the Overseer?_ Try as he might, his hands kept twitching as he made his way down the hall to the main office.


	4. The Overseer's office

Jacen walked down the hallway to the Overseer's combination living quarters and office, each step echoing down the metal hallway. He holstered his submachine gun and did his level best to calm his nerves as he made the slow and familiar walk down to the Overseer's office.

Jacen hadn't been a "problem child" per se – he was a good, not great student, and never dabbled in the various gangs that inhabited the vault. But still, he found himself in the Overseer's office on a fairly regular basis, usually swept up as a result of Butch DeLoria's continued hell-raising.

Jacen was under no illusion the Overseer harbored anything but barely-contained disgust for him, but he still _feared_ the man on some level, even though at this point Jacen could kill him with barely a thought or an effort. _Childhood memories die hard apparently,_ he thought with a sad smile as he kept walking down the hallway.

It was because Amata liked Jacen, and had since they were children, that her father spared Jacen the majority of his legendary wrath and discipline. _Is that why you came back?_ he asked himself, lost in his thoughts. _To thank her for protecting you from her father? Or are you really in love with her?_

Before he could answer that question he heard banging on one of the windows lining the hallway. Unholstering his submachine gun and raising it to his head in one smooth, practiced motion, he spun around and saw a man pounding on the thick glass and yelling.

"You! You are the one who caused all this when you and your idiot father ran away!" Jacen walked up to the window and recognized Allen Mack, the Vault's resident kiss-ass and _de facto_ number two leader behind the Overseer himself. He was in his quarters, right next to the Vault's main office, and he was pounding on the glass and pointing at Jacen.

Mack continued yelling and calling for security as Jacen stood a few inches from the thick glass. Finally he raised his submachine gun and tapped it on the glass a few times. Mack fell silent.

"Hey Mack!" Jacen began. "If you want to meet that son of yours that I killed a few months ago, keep yelling," he continued in an icy cold tone, narrowing his eyes as he took a half step back and extended his gun, keeping Mack square in his sights. "Want me to test if this glass is actually bulletproof after two…hundred…years?" Jacen stretched the last few words out for emphasis.

"You…you…you…going to execute me, boy?"

Jacen smiled. Even in fear Mack was too stupid to shut up and run away. _It is courageous, not gonna lie, that he stands there unarmed only a few feet away,_ Jacen thought to himself as the two men stared at each other though the glass

"No," Jacen lowered his gun. "Ammo isn't cheap enough to waste on a washed-up kiss-ass like you. I have business with your master, he'd appreciate it if you were quiet enough for real men to talk in peace." Jacen turned to leave. "Oh Allen? When you see your son, tell him I said hello. He wasn't in the most…talkative…mood the last time I saw him." Jacen walked away and started laughing as he saw Allen Mack step away from the window and put his head in his hands in sadness.

Normally Jacen didn't talk to people like that, but normally Jacen respected most of the people he talked to out in the Wasteland, and Jacen had no respect for Mack. Even still, his conscious tugged at him as he walked to the Overseer's closed door. _You shouldn't have talked to him like that,_ it said with disapproval.

After taking a few full breathes and letting them exhale slowly to calm his still-twitchy nerves, Jacen knocked twice, making sure his gun was holstered. The door automatically opened and a man, his Hispanic features hidden behind a short graying haircut and piercing hazel eyes, stood there with his arms crossed. "Well, what do we have here? Think you can slink back in and crawl back into bed and we wouldn't notice?"

Jacen laughed, a meaty laugh that continued for several seconds til the Overseer spoke again. "What's so funny?" he demanded in that harsh tone he was infamous for.

Jacen stopped laughing. "I spent my entire life afraid of you. It was only now that I realized you were nothing but a scared old man. I came because I heard you and Amata are having a…bit of a squabble."

The Overseer walked to his desk and sat down. "You heard correct, Jacen."

"I haven't spoken to her yet. Figured I'd come to you first, despite everything else you do deserve that courtesy. Tell me, why should we keep this Vault closed?"

The Overseer reached into his desk as Jacen reflexively kept his right hand near his gun. _I'm pretty sure I can get a shot or two off if he pulls a pistol out of that desk,_ he thought to himself as he eyed the Overseer warily.

Instead of a pistol, the Overseer pulled out a pair of glasses and a bottle of what looked like Scotch. The Overseer poured a glass then pointed the bottle at the empty glass, offering it to his visitor. Jacen nodded "but not a lot" he said as he sat down across from the Overseer.

The two sat in silence and drank slowly. "Can I tell you something?" the Overseer said in a near-whisper. Jacen nodded once. "I'm so tired. Just tired of everything this job and this Vault entails."

"Easier to sleep in here than it is out there," Jacen replied after a moment of reflection.

"Exactly. Why won't they listen? Tell them, tell them how dangerous the Wasteland really is, and how they should listen and stay safe here in the Vault"

Jacen leaned back in his chair and pressed his hands to his lips. _Cigarette…nah,_ he thought. He kept a pack on him, but only smoked in case of emergencies or high-stress situations – well, relatively high-stress situations. _Life in the Wasteland was a high-stress situation,_ he thought wearily _._

"I read somewhere that the max population of one of the Wasteland Vaults – maybe this one, maybe Vault 108 – was a thousand," Jacen began, rapping his left hand on the Overseer's desk as he spoke. "That true?"

"Sounds about right," the Overseer responded with a nod.

"How many people are left in the Vault?" Jacen saw the Overseer's eyes narrow. "Give or take?"

"A few hundred, give or take."

Jacen leaned back in thought and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his knapsack. Lighting one with a lighter he bought at Craterside Supply, he took a pull and offered one to the Overseer, who shook his head.

Twirling the glass lighter in his left hand as his right held the cigarette, Jacen spoke: "I think even you'd agree that this place needs supplies. Some of this machinery is over two hundred years old."

"That's not a good enough reason to open the Vault, especially considering the dangers outside," the Overseer said, his eyes hardening. "We'll make do as we always have."

For a minute the only noise was Jacen slowly smoking his cigarette. "What happens when the people run out?" he asked slowly.

"What?"

"There aren't a lot of people left, right? What happens you don't have enough to sustain a population? That will be, what, two, maybe three generations?"

The Overseer sat straight up, "That's impossible…" he began, but his voice trailed off. He stood from his desk and walked to a nearby computer. Punching in a few codes, he turned and looked at Jacen, who was keeping his hand near his holstered gun. "Two hundred seventeen people of so-called 'breeding age' are left in this vault. That doesn't tell us how many are actually capable of breeding, just that they are in the right age window."

"Breeding? Vault-Tec is raising cattle now?" Jacen replied sarcastically.

"Whatever you want to call it, this vault is in trouble, that much is certain," the Overseer said softly, so softly that Jacen had to lean forward to hear it.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Jacen asked as he took the last drag of his cigarette and killed its fire with his fingertips before throwing the butt into a nearby garbage can.

"Step down," the Overseer replied in a sad yet determined tone.

"What?" Jacen stood up. "Really?"

The Overseer nodded. "Yes. It is obvious we need to open up to the outside world and attract new immigrants in order to survive. I was wrong, so wrong that I can't lead these people anymore. How can any of them trust me when I nearly lead this Vault into oblivion?"

"Wow, I honestly don't know what to say," Jacen replied honestly. "I mean, that's a pretty big decision Overseer…who's going to replace you? Not that idiot Mack I hope."

A tiny flash of a grin extended on the Overseer's granite face. "No, he's too rigid. Amata will do it. She was right all along, and cares enough about this place to shepherd the Vault into a new world."

"Hmm, good choice. Are we done here? I'd like to see some old friends."

"You can go. Bring word to Amata and her allies that I'm transferring all power to her immediately, and the Vault is hers to lead."


	5. A reunion

Jacen stood and offered his hand, which the Overseer shook with a nod. "Brave decision, sir, one I honestly think will help the Vault in the long run," he said sincerely.

"One last order as Overseer, if you will," the soon-to-be-ex Overseer demanded in a flat tone.

"You have my attention sir," Jacen sarcastically replied.

The Overseer didn't take the verbal bait. "Just impress upon them how _dangerous_ the Wasteland is. I don't want them going in with anything less than the truth about it outside."

"I can do that," Jacen answered as he stood to leave. "Enjoy your retirement sir, you've earned a little peace."

The Overseer nodded and Jacen made his way down the stairs to the living quarters, feeling several sets of eyes follow him silently as he walked. _This place still gives me the creeps, but at least they've made the only long-term decision that won't kill 'em in the long run,_ he thought as he walked, resisting the urge to nervously fidget his hands.

He made his way to the lower level where he saw tables and desks blocking the hallway in a makeshift barricade. "Hello?" he said. "Amata?"

She rounded a corner and his heart skipped a beat. "Jacen?!" she replied with a broad smile as she crashed into him with a hug.

"Whoa, this armor is dirty, be careful or you'll get filthy," he said playfully as he hugged her back.

"My father told me the news. How did you convince him to step down?" she asked after the hug.

"I didn't. He made the right call, Madam Overseer," he said with a grin.

"Yeah…" she let the words sink in. "Madam Overseer huh?" she said in a distant tone, as if her mind was thinking about the new title.

"It suits you," Jacen said softly.

She smiled. "Speaking of suits, where did you get that armor?" She rapped her knuckles off the composite chest section of his dull green combat armor, right on the white clover over the breast.

"I helped some friends who were lost in downtown D.C. find their way back home," he replied with a sly grin. "Come on," he started walking and she followed. "Is the classroom still around this corner?" he said as he turned the corner and entered the Vault's main classroom.

"What are we doing in here?" she asked.

"Are you going to open the Vault and start exploring?" Jacen asked.

"Soon, yes," she replied firmly.

"Good. Now gather a few people so I can teach you a crash course on survival in the Capital Wasteland," he answered.

A few minutes later, Amata returned with a half dozen other former classmates, some of whom Jacen barely recognized. Jacen stood at the front of the room with a slide showing a map of pre-war Washington D.C.

"Hi everyone, I'll be quick," he began once the room settled down. He smiled inwardly at the rapt attention from his former peers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Butch DeLoria replied with a snarl.

"Butch, this will be a lot quicker if I'm not interrupted, so do everyone a favor and stop talking for once in your life," Jacen answered with a snarl of his own. Butch put his hands up in mock surrender, but at least he was quiet

"Ok, you guys are more or less…here," he pointed on the map. "About an hour east of us is a town called 'Megaton.' I keep a home there." He pointed on the map and saw several people taking notes. "The gate is on the north end. A guy named Simms runs the place. When you want to trade look up Moira Brown at Craterside Supply…"

He spent the next few minutes teaching basic Wasteland geography, telling the Vault Dwellers where Megaton, Tenpenny Tower, the Citadel and even Rivet City were all located. Jacen also explained how the Metro tunnels worked and he mentioned a few of the Wasteland's many dangers. The Vault Dwellers took copious notes, and even asked a few questions Jacen did his best to answer.

"Most importantly, there are three things you _must_ always carry when you explore the Wasteland. One, a weapon in good repair. Everything is trying to kill you, never forget that. Two, fresh water, at least three bottles per person per day of travel, and possibly more. Three, some way to treat the radiation. The background radiation isn't fatal, but all non-treated water is radioactive, as is most of the food, so be careful when you are exploring."

Jacen answered a few more questions before dismissing the class. _Even Butch had insightful comments for once in his life_ , he thought as the Dwellers all filed out, except for Amata.

"Thank you for that," she said sincerely after everyone else had left.

"Least I could do. You'll need all that information and more. I had to learn it the hard way," he said wistfully as his voice trailed off.

The two stood awkwardly in silence for a moment before Jacen spoke: "Can I go to my old apartment? My father left some stuff in there I'd like to see again."

"I forgot to ask, how is James? We all miss him."

Jacen turned and fought back tears as he looked at Amata and shook his head. "I miss him too. He'd want to believe he's with Ma now, but…I don't know."

"I'm so sorry Jacen," Amata said, warmth and sincerity flooding her voice.

"Me too Amata, but thanks" he answered as he turned to leave.

Making his way to his old room he stood in the doorway and looked around, letting the nostalgia flood his senses for a minute. He walked into the room and closed the door, locking it. Making his way toward a framed quote on the wall he read it again, even though he'd memorized it long ago.

"I am Alpha and Omega," he quietly read aloud, "the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

He moved the framed quote off the wall and saw a locked wall safe hidden behind it. Pulling out his lockpicking screwdriver and a spare bobby pin, he made short work of the lock and opened the safe. A blueprint of some sort – Jacen had seen a few others on his travels – was on top of a burlap bag that shook with the familiar rattle of bottlecaps. Jacen pocketed the blueprint for further study and the bag of caps. _Must be at least a hundred caps in here, based on the weight alone_ he thought as he felt the bag in his hands. Underneath everything else was an audio log. Jacen pocketed that too so he could listen later.

Double-checking to make sure the door was locked Jacen took off his weapons and started removing his armor. Making sure to keep his trusty machine gun, he walked into the bathroom area and turned the shower on. Thankfully, there was still soap and the like in the shower area. Clean water was so hard to come by, he was going to treat himself to a hot, luxurious, radiation-free shower while he was back in the Vault.

Turning the water off, Jacen dried off with a towel and put his under armor leggings back on, staying naked from the waist up. He'd put the rest of his clothing and armor on a few – he always preferred air drying when possible. He carried his machine gun in his right hand – even in the safety of the Vault, he never kept a weapon out of arm's reach – as he walked back into the main room of the apartment.

He heard a rustle and instinctively bought the gun up to fire position and trained it on where he heard the noise. Amata was sitting in his father's chair reading a book, her back to him.

"That was locked for a reason," Jacen said annoyingly as he lowered the gun, but kept it in his hand. She turned to face him, her hazel eyes looking him over.

Jacen suddenly realized he was half-naked and put the gun down to throw on a shirt. "Enjoying the show?" he said sarcastically, using his sarcasm to hide the nerves he was feeling. He'd known Amata for years, but she'd never seen him like this. His heart skipped a few beats as he thought about how good it felt for her to look him over.

"Sorry," she sheepishly replied, looking back at her book. _Is she blushing?_ He nervously thought.

"Least you can do is help me with this armor," he answered in a similar tone as the awkwardness between the two of them made more conversation tough. She stood and walked over to him. Following his lead she helped him into his armor, her skilled fingers lacing up the laces that kept his chest plate steady.

He finally tugged his fingerless gloves on and put his weapons back on his belt. "You do this every day before you leave your home?" she asked, the first words either had exchanged in several minutes.

"This is high-quality armor, if I'm in the field I can sleep in it for a day or even two without too much trouble, but yes, when I'm home I do this alone. You are more skilled than my Mr. Handy, that's for sure," he smiled and she smiled back softy.

"I have to tell you something," she began, looking anywhere but his eyes. "There's no easy way to say it, so I'll just say it."

"Uh oh," Jacen replied sarcastically. "I think I know where this speech is going."

"You need to leave…forever," she demanded, sad but firm.

"Yep, exactly where I thought this speech was going," he answered, an edge to his voice trying to mask the sadness.

"You represent too much division; I won't be able to unify the Vault if you are still around. There are too many people who hate you for what you and your father caused the night of the escape."

"You can't blame me for that," Jacen angrily stated. "Your dad was trying to kill me."

"I know, but I'm telling what people think, and as Overseer it is my job to make the hard decisions. You saved us, saved the Vault, but you have to leave."

Jacen stood there looking at her. To her credit, she met his gaze evenly. "You are going to be the best Overseer in the history of this Vault," he honestly said, reaching up to touch her face. Her eyes fluttered closed as she rubbed her face in his hand. "I'm not going to blame you; hell I won't even miss this place to be honest."

"Stop it, Jacen," she said in a whisper.

"Really?" he answered in the same whisper, keeping his hand on her face.

"No…but yes," she reached up and pulled his hand away from her face, but kept his hand in hers. "In here I have to be the Overseer. I can't be Amata."

The two stood there, hand in hand, staring into each other's eyes for a few heartbeats before Jacen spoke. "I won't miss this place, but I'll keep missing you, Amata," he said, forcing the words out in a hoarse whisper.

She nodded and Jacen saw her eyes moisten. "We can't, not in here," she said with a resigned finality. "I miss you too Jacen," she admitted after more silence.

He nodded, realizing that she was right, as much as he didn't want to admit it. "When you make your way to Megaton, my house is the first one on the left as you are walking into town," he said, keeping her hand in his as he stared into her hazel eyes. "There's a little table out front. I'm usually there or in town. Look me up please. I need to see you again Amata."

She nodded quickly and softly pulled her hand away. "I will Jacen, but you need to leave before I have another rebellion on my hands."

He smiled, a soft one that barely touched his cheeks. "You'll be the best Overseer ever," he quietly declared as he turned and left her standing before she could see him crying.


	6. Workouts and patrols

_"_ Jesus Jacen, I haven't seen you this angry in a while," Paladin Gunny declared as Jacen went through an invigorating and strenuous workout. He was in the Citadel's bailey and was about three quarters of the way through a workout. Going from pushups to pull-ups to free squats and back again, Jacen tried to sweat out the frustrations of being back in Vault 101.

 _I should never have gone back,_ he told himself. _But now she's in charge, they'll prosper. I'm glad I went back/I should never have gone back._ The dueling thoughts inside his head battled it out for supremacy as Jacen's aching thighs and shoulders begged for relief as he worked out all the aggravation going back to Vault 101 caused.

Finally, after a few more exercises, he collapsed on the ground. "This is a pretty good place to die," he muttered with a chuckle as his aching body tried to rest. Lying prone for a minute, he finally forced his way to his feet, only to see three Brotherhood Knights standing a few feet away. All three were wearing the standard grey power armor; one had a helmet on while the other two didn't.

Even with the helmet, Jacen recognized all three. "Dusk…Gallows…Kodiak" he said between big gulps of air to catch his breath. "How can I help you today?"

The woman Dusk spoke first, her calm features masking a hidden strength. "A little birdy told us you were out here killing yourself by doing physical training."

"I got…some stress…I wanted to work out," Jacen gasped, still trying to catch his breath.

"Still bummed about your dad?" Kodiak, a large man leaning on a Super Sledge, asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes, but there's more…I went back to the Vault and ran into someone who was better left in my memories," he finally answered as he started toweling off the sweat and dressing himself in his armor.

"Ohhhh…girl problems?" Dusk said with a sparkle in her eyes. She loved teasing. It was harmless and helped her and her comrades – including Jacen – bond, but Jacen really didn't want to hear her teasing, however harmless it was.

"Yeah, but we're not having this conversation now, much to your chagrin Dusk," Jacen answered with finality. "Now help me in this armor and we'll cross the river and go hunting."

Dusk herself helped lace up his armor. It only took a minute and Jacen was ready. The three members of Lyons' Pride double checked all their weaponry as Jacen did the same. He was carrying his trusty hunting rifle, held together with baling wire and duct tape. It may not look like much, but he could put a round into a Super Mutant's head at a hundred paces without breaking a sweat, more if he used the custom scope that easily snapped on the gun's barrel. His standard submachine gun and combat knife completed his arsenal.

"Jacen, want a few grenades?" Gallows, the third member of the Pride asked his usual deadpan voice.

"Sure, toss me a few, can't hurt," Jacen replied with a smile. "You always know how to make a guy feel better, Gallows," he said as he expertly caught a few grenades and hung them off his bandolier.

"Yeah, he's got a heart of gold underneath that power armor," Kodiak replied as he double checked his Super Sledge.

"Let's go," Gallows said gruffly, and the four made their way outside the Citadel.

"What's the plan?" Jacen asked as they made their way north to the northern bridge crossing the Potomac. The fastest way to downtown D.C. from the Citadel was the southern bridge, the one crossing just north of the Jefferson Memorial, but ever since the Enclave occupied Project Purity and the Memorial proper, Elder Lyons forbid contact between the Enclave and the Brotherhood, so the southern bridge was off-limits to Brotherhood forces for the time being.

"We'll walk around D.C., see what trouble we can cause, maybe continue some Metro recon," Dusk answered, scanning the far side of the river with her high-powered sniper rifle scope. "No real objectives except kill uglies and try not to die, same old same old."

"Sounds like a simple enough plan," Jacen answered as he pulled out his hunting rifle and looked for movement on the far side of the river. He'd found a three-power scope in Rivet City and Moira was kind enough to install a mount for it on his gun for free. The scope came in handy here.

Dusk was on point, Jacen right behind her as the two men stayed a few paces behind him. Something glistened in the early afternoon sun across the river. Jacen swung his rifle up and dropped to a knee. The other three members of the Pride dropped prone as well. Gallows hid behind a concrete barrier with his own rifle a few feet from Jacen.

"What do you see?" he asked in a low voice.

"Something's moving over there, follow my rifle and you'll see it" Jacen softly answered. "I saw something shining, maybe a gun barrel."

Gallows and Jacen keep looking as Dusk and Kodiak did as well. "Got it," Jacen quietly said. "There's a raider across the river, he doesn't see us, and he is standing around looking bored. The sun is shining off his armor…give me a few to line up…" Jacen's rifle barked and the raider let out a cry. Gallows swung his sniper rifle around.

"Nice shot," he said flatly. "I think he's still alive, but you got him in the chest. Did you not account for the bullet drop?" he asked in a flat tone.

"I thought I did, but this scope doesn't have the hash marks your scope has, so I did the math in my head. Guess I forgot to carry the one?" Jacen replied with a grin as Gallows shook his head at the bad joke.

After another minute the foursome stood and kept walking. They crossed the bridge in good order and made their way to the raider Jacen shot. If he was still alive when the bullet hit him, he was dead by the time the patrol made their way over to his corpse.

Jacen quickly searched the corpse. "Sweet," he declared as he found a 10 mm clip. "Perfect for the SMG," he said to Gallows as he clipped the ammo to his belt. "That makes four clips plus the one in the gun…more than enough for this trip."

"Can never have too much ammo," Gallows answered in a monotone.

"I think I have thirty of these clips at my house in Megaton, Gallows, and that doesn't count all the other ammo I have there. I have more ammo than the Citadel's armory – you should come by sometime."

"Next time we're up north, we will," Kodiak answered as the four made their way eastward into the city. "Haven't been to Megaton in a few months."

The foursome kept heading east making their way down a D.C. road. Instead of walking right in the middle of the street and exposing themselves to fire from the surrounding buildings, they split up. Jacen and Gallows walked on the right sidewalk, in the shadows of some buildings, while Dusk and Kodiak did the same on the left side.

Using hand signals, the two pairs kept each other abreast of any potential threats. The street was eerily quiet. "Shouldn't there be muties around?" Jacen asked Gallows, who was silent as he walked.

Up ahead crossing above the street was a sky bridge connecting two high-rises. Jacen paid it little mind as he kept walking, keeping his eyes focused on any movement at the street level.

A few steps later he felt Gallows pull him into the doorway of a long-abandoned building. Before he could say anything, Jacen heard small-arms fire hitting the ground right where he was standing a second before. "Thanks," he whispered to Gallows, who simply nodded once.

The bullets whizzed past the doorway. "The sky bridge?" Jacen asked as he kept himself flat on the wall. Gallows nodded once again as Jacen tried to line a shot up to no avail.

"Can you see Dawn and Kodiak?" Jacen asked.

"Whoever is out there is good, every time I try to move they lay down more suppressive fire," Gallows answered, checking to make sure his assault rifle had a full clip. "If I had to guess, I'd say we were about to get flanked, so be ready."

"Great," Jacen answered flatly. He still wasn't able to peek out around the corner of the doorway and see exactly who – or what – was firing on him and Gallows. _Think!_ he berated himself. Jacen kept himself on the wall for cover and turned his head to the right, trying to see out of the corner of his right eye down the street toward the sky bridge.

"Gallows, I can't see Dusk and Kodiak," Jacen said over the gunfire.

"They can take care of themselves. We have to take care of ourselves right now," Gallows deadpanned.

"There's a manhole directly under the bridge, I just saw it," Jacen replied. "Let's make our way there and duck into the sewers."

"Anything is better than this deathtrap," Gallows answered in agreement.

"Ok, so how do we get to the manhole?" Jacen asked.

"Cover me, I'll take point, give me a few feet and follow. My armor is better than yours," Gallows said with as much enthusiasm as if he were ordering a cup of coffee. _Nothing fazes this guy,_ Jacen thought with equal parts jealousy and wonder.

"On three," Gallows said. "One…two…three."

Gallows ran out into the street and kept low to the ground, darting between cover and firing his assault rifle at the bridge. Jacen counted to two and ran after him, ducking bullets all the while. He looked up and saw Gallows lifting the heavy manhole cover directly under the bridge. "You first," Gallows said, voice again not betraying emotion despite all the gunfire.

Jacen was a few feet from the safety of the manhole when a bullet hit him right in the left shoulder. He felt a searing pain, right where the shoulder met his upper chest in the front. _Fuck, must have punctured the armor,_ he thought in a near-panic as the practically jumped down the manhole and climbed down the ladder. Gallows was right behind him, closing the manhole as he climbed down the ladder himself.

Taking a breath Jacen surveyed the room. They were in a sewer that sloped downward and branched off to the left and the right. Puddles of water pooled in the bottom part of the sewer where the two branches were. Jacen could faintly hear noises in the distance.

"You hurt?" Gallows asked in a whisper.

"Fuckers got me right in the shoulder. Went through the armor," he answered, gritting his teeth. _Damn it all this hurts, but I'll be damned if I show pain in front of Gallows,_ he stubbornly thought to himself.

Gallows lowered his helmeted head to the wound. He peered at it for a second and reached around the back of Jacen's shoulder, under the armor. Jacen felt Gallows's hand feeling the back of his shoulder, around where the scapula met the triceps muscle. After a few seconds, Gallows pulled his hand back and looked at it. Jacen noticed no blood on the grey gloves at the same time Gallows did.

"No blood, so no exit wound. When we get back to the Citadel you'll have to get operated on," Gallows said with the slightest hint of emotion in his voice. _Is that…sympathy?_ Jacen thought as he fumbled for a stimpack and injected in into his body.

"That's it for the stims," Gallows admonished. "Any more and you'll accelerate the healing process too quickly, which will make it harder to get the slug out of your shoulder."

"Oh, so that kind of operation?" Jacen asked, feeling better as the healing chemicals took hold.

"Yeah…someone is going to have to fish in the wound and pull the slug out before it gets infected. And it will get infected, so sooner the better."

"Well, let's get out of here so I can get back to Megaton and get Doc Church to patch me up…again. I swear I'm keeping that man employed," Jacen said with a small grin.

"The life we live Jacen," Gallows answered as he started walking and took a left at the T-intersection.

Jacen followed, being careful to avoid the puddles of radioactive water. The branch ended at a thick metal door. Jacen could faintly hear _something_ on the other side of the door. He holstered his rifle and pulled out his submachine gun, making sure he had a full clip in the gun.

"Ready?" Gallows asked. Jacen nodded and the Knight opened the door. The noise that Jacen heard stopped.

Gallows took a few steps in the room and stopped. Pointing to Jacen, he pointed to a far wall in the room that offered good sightlines of the entire room without being too exposed to whatever was in the room.

"Cover me from that wall as I take a look around," Gallows ordered. Jacen looked at him sidelong – _no one orders me around,_ he thought with a bit of disdain, but he followed the order.

Jacen made his way to the spot and saw that Gallows was right. He was on a catwalk that offered great vision for not only the floor Jacen and Gallows were on, but a floor below that one as well. Jacen still couldn't see anything, but his perception, honed by months of wandering the Wasteland, told him that _something_ was in the room, either on the top level or the one below. After a few minutes, Jacen didn't see or hear anything however.

Gallows followed down the catwalk once Jacen signaled the all-clear. All of a sudden, part of the catwalk gave way and Gallows fell through to the level below.

"Gallows!" Jacen yelled in worry. Jacen didn't see the fall itself, only heard the impact of the landing on the floor below the catwalk.

The Knight began to stir. It looked like he landed on his back and was already making his way to his feet. The fall was a good ten to twelve feet. "I'm ok, the armor helps a lot," Gallows answered, a bit of pain in his voice.

"I'll have to meet up with you," Jacen said loudly. "I'm not jumping down there, I'll break something important, like my legs or my guns."

"Good call," Gallows replied with what could be mistaken as sincere emotion. "Let's just split up, I work better alone anyway, and God knows how long until you find a door leading to this level."

Jacen nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I work better alone too. They don't call me the 'Lone Wanderer' for nothing," he said with a smile, trying to mask the pain from his shoulder.

"If I don't see you again, happy hunting Jacen. Get that wound taken care of when you get back to Megaton," Gallows turned down a hallway and was gone.


	7. Escape from the sewers

_Fuck this hurts,_ Jacen thought to himself for the fifth or sixth time in the past hour as the wound in his shoulder hurt more and more with each passing minute. Gallows was long gone. Not that Jacen minded – the Knight was exceptional at what he did, but Jacen worked best alone.

Shoulder pain or not, Jacen was in his element. He was sneaking around the ruins of part of the Pre-War Metro, salvaging what he could. He hadn't encountered any enemies yet, although that wouldn't last – Jacen heard noises that belonged to _something_ in the tunnels. _Probably ghouls,_ he thought, keeping his submachine gun at the ready.

He rounded another corner – he was headed in a generally west/northwesterly direction, hoping to surface close enough to the Potomac to cross one of the bridges and head back to Megaton. The way he came in was out of the question – he'd be right back in the same firefight that damaged his shoulder in the first place.

As he rounded the corner he saw it. There was a figure with his back to Jacen crouched over something in the darkness, maybe twenty feet away. The figure looked human, but his skin was raw and exposed, and he was wearing almost no clothing. Jacen stopped walking and raised his gun, blocking the pain in his left shoulder as he used his left arm to stabilize his right.

The creature stopped and stood, keeping his back to Jacen. _Yep, pure ghoul,_ he thought as he lined up a shot. Jacen stilled his breath and squeezed the trigger on the submachine gun.

The noise from the gun spooked the ghoul but the bullets hit him in the head before he could do anything about it. _Great shot,_ Jacen thought with pride as his shoulder barked at him again.

Somewhere in the distance another ghoul howled, that haunting noise that anyone who spent any time in the Capital Wasteland's myriad tunnels and sewers knew way too well. "Great," Jacen muttered. "They know I'm here. I should have used the knife and kept it quiet."

He moved with a purpose, taking a few items that looked valuable as he went down the corridors. He knew what he was looking for, random knick-knacks that Moira would like, bands of prewar money, packs of cigarettes to keep himself stocked. _I could go for a smoke actually,_ he thought, but thought better of it. Ghouls had a terrific sense of smell, and would smell the tobacco far too easily.

His shoulder was hurting pretty badly, and it became more and more difficult to use his left arm. He felt the blood sloshing around his open wound, but didn't dare stop and take his armor off to take a look. _Just keep going,_ he told himself, putting one foot in front of the other.

Checking his Pip-Boy, Jacen saw he was more or less adjacent to the east bank of the Potomac. He was a in a small corridor, standing directly in front of a large metal door. _If I did this right, this door SHOULD open up to the Red Line, and I can take that north to Friendship Heights, which will put me a few miles from Megaton,_ he thought, checking the clock. _Shit, its already 2015, it's going to be dark before I get back. Church is gonna be PISSED that I woke him up,_ he thought with weary resignation.

More ghoul howls interrupted Jason's stream of conscious. He swung his submachine gun up again – one-handed this time, his left arm all-but-immobile from the pain in his shoulder – and peered into the darkness.

He heard the soft pitter-patter of running steps before he saw the ghoul sprinting down the dark hallway. Jacen raised his gun and fired off a burst at the charging monster. The bullets hit the ghoul in the upper chest but they barely slowed the beast.

On instinct, Jacen dropped his gun and pulled out his knife. He spun on the balls of his feet as the ghoul left its feet and tried to slam into him. Spinning out of harm's way, he slashed the ghoul's upper back with the knife as the creature missed Jacen and fell to the ground. Jacen glanced around quickly – it was just the two of them.

The ghoul stood slowly and warily eyed Jacen. "Come on, I'm right here," Jacen taunted, twirling the knife in his right hand, letting the small amount of light in the room glisten off the blade. The ghoul roared a howl that chilled Jacen to the bone, and leapt at Jacen so quickly and suddenly he didn't have time to pirouette out of the way.

The ghoul slammed into Jacen and tackled him to the ground. The pain in his injured shoulder was so severe Jacen saw white stars, but he instinctively managed to slash at the ghoul, who was on top of the prone Jacen trying to claw at his face.

The creature may have been feral, but it wasn't brainless. Sniffing the air once, it raised its right hand and slammed it down right on Jacen's bloody left shoulder, causing him to yell in pain. Jacen felt his energy ebbing away as the creature kept punching and clawing at him. Finally, with a last gasp Jacen grabbed his knife and drove it right into the ghoul's throat. Its eyes widened as it grabbed its throat and fell off Jacen, spattering blood everywhere.

The room was still as Jacen took stock. His left arm was useless, even more so than normal. He slowly stood up and grabbed his machine gun. In anger, he fired off a few rounds into the dead ghoul. "God damn you!" he yelled in anger as he loaded a fresh clip into the gun and holstered it. He found a stray rag and cleaned the blood off his knife and clipped it onto his belt in its proper place.

"God do I hurt," he muttered to no one in particular. His arm was useless, hanging by his side limp. The shoulder was on fire, and Jacen could feel the blood pooling under his armor. He felt flushed and stopped to take a long pull of his water canteen. "Let's get the hell out of here."

His instincts were right – the next door took him to a Red Line access tunnel. He followed that tunnel until he was in the subway tunnel itself. He followed that north, pausing only now and again to check for raiders or ghouls. _There shouldn't be any, Lyons and I cleared these tunnels out not that long ago,_ he thought to himself, fighting a wicked headache.

Finally, he made his way to Friendship Heights, a Metro station at the northern end of downtown D.C. It took him several minutes to climb the stairs from the tunnels to the station entrance. Each step felt like torture. "Almost home Jacen, then Doc can fix you up," he muttered, trying to will himself back to Megaton.

He made his way topside into the darkness of a cool October night. There was a breeze blowing off the Potomac that helped cool Jacen down and gave him a much-needed spring in his step. He pulled out his hunting rifle and started walking westward, praying for an uneventful trip to Megaton.

 _About an hour, maybe ninety minutes,_ he thought as he walked, keeping to cover as much as possible. The pain in his arm was growing worse with each step. _Feels like someone is driving a hot poker right into my shoulder,_ he thought, but buried those thoughts as we slowly made his way westward.

Luck was with Jacen that night – he made it across the Potomac without running into anything. The other side of the river was considerably safer – _well, as safe as anything else in the Wasteland,_ he thought – and he quickened his pace. Finally, after a little more than an hour, Jacen saw the corrugated metal walls of Megaton, and holstered his hunting rifle.

He made his way to the main gate and opened it just enough to slide in. Checking his Pip-Boy, he saw it was nearly midnight as he staggered his way into town. He slowly made his way to the bottom of the town's crater and saw Doc Church's clinic. Squinting – the fierce headache was messing with his vision – he saw a sign on the front of the door.

"Closed?!" Jacen read the sign aloud in despair.

"Yeah," a familiar voice replied behind Jacen. He spun around and his head spun.

"Hey Simms," Jacen weakly said after his world stopped moving. Sherriff Lucas Simms was sitting at the closest seat at the Brass Lantern, across the way from the Clinic and a few feet from where Jacen was standing. There was a woman Jacen couldn't make out sitting next to Simms, on the other side from Jacen. "Where's Church?" Jacen asked. "I'm hurt." he said, pointing to his shoulder. "Gunshot…think it was…assault rifle."

"Rivet City, he's visiting some friends and getting supplies," Simms answered, concern flashing across his features.

"That's…not…good…at…all," Jacen forced out. He found it more and more difficult to focus as his body grew hot and his headache throbbed. "Who's…your…friend?" he asked as Simms and the woman stood from the counter at the same time.

Jacen leaned against the building and fell down to the earth. "Owww" he softly whimpered as he fell. In a second Simms was pulling him to his feet. "Can you help him, Miss, if we carry him home?" Simms asked the woman that Jacen couldn't quite recognize

"I think so," a familiar voice, one that haunted Jacen's dreams for months. "I learned a little first aid in the Vault. Let's get him home and see what's up."

"Amata," Jacen weakly said. "Good…to…see…you…" Jacen offered as he nearly fell down again. _Why…can't…I…think…straight?_ He asked himself. Somewhere in his mind he remembered the word "infection" but his thoughts were way too disjointed and cloudy to understand what such a big word meant. All he wanted to do was sleep, sleep and never wake up. Jacen sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. _I'll rest here a while,_ he thought as his mind drifted off.


	8. Playing doctor

Simms and Amata each grabbed hold of Jacen's near-dead weight and half-carried, half-dragged him up the crater and to his home, waking him up in the process.

"My arm," he protested weakly. "Try…not…to…kill…me."

Simms opened the door after Jacen clumsily punched in the code disarming security and the two carried him upstairs to the main bedroom. Putting Jacen on the top of the desk in his bedroom, Amata began untying his armor.

"I'll take it from here Sherriff," she said in a firm but soft tone. "Please tell my guard I'll be staying here tonight, and I'll pick him up from your house in the morning. Thanks again for the offer to let us stay with you," she finished as she untied Jacen's armor and slowly removed it.

"Of course. Good luck with him. I've never seen him hurt this badly," Simms replied with concern in his voice.

"Med-X," Jacen interrupted as he helped Amata take off the upper part of his Combat Armor. "There's…some in…the…first aid…kit outside…on this floor," he said, taking his time with each word. He was finding it hard to focus his mind on speaking, or on anything else for that matter.

Simms returned with a one-shot glass-and-metal syringe filled with a clear liquid. "You sure about me leaving?" he asked again as he handed it to Amata.

"Yeah Sherriff," Amata said as she peered at the mess that was Jacen's shoulder. "If I need you I'll find you."

"Please do. He's a bit of a loudmouth but he did save this town…least we can do is save him," Simms said with a smile as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Amata, what the hell…are you doing…here?" Jacen asked as he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Good…you are real," he said after rubbing her arm softly.

"Don't move Jacen," she replied. "I'm going to inject this Med-X into you then try and clean your wound up. Here's hoping I paid well enough attention when your dad was giving first aid lessons," her voice trailed off.

"Yeah…I hope so too" Jacen replied, a ghost of a smile on his face as he took his boots and leg armor off before the injection. "Before I…pass out…you still haven't…answered my question."

"I'll tell you in the morning. Let me try and fix you first," Amata took Jacen's combat knife and used it to cut away what was left of his shirt. He was only wearing his leggings, having taken off his armor, boots and gloves.

Amata peered at the mess that was Jacen's shoulder and inhaled sharply. "That bad huh?" Jacen asked, studying her features through his haze. She was wearing a standard-issue Vault 101 suit and boots, same as she always did, but she looked…different. _Must be the fever,_ he thought, trying to keep his mind as sharp as possible, but his thoughts slipped through his mind like sand through a sieve.

Jacen looked at his shoulder. There was dried blood and skin everywhere and a little bit of fresh blood bubbled to the surface now and again. The pain was so bad Jacen thought he would be sick to his stomach.

"Ready for the injection, it will numb the pain as I go fishing for the bullet," Amata said softly, looking Jacen right in his glassy eyes.

He nodded slowly. She walked over to his good arm and injected the Med-X into his upper arm. "Ohhhhh," Jacen whimpered as the chemicals entered his system. "That's better," he offered as he gingerly made his way to his bed, lying down with his right side on the edge and his left side nearly touching the wall.

With a sigh, Amata crawled over Jacen and made her way to his left side. "Hey," Jacen smiled as she crawled over him, the Med-X starting to take effect.

"Hey Jacen," she smiled back as she used a little purified water to clean the wound. "Ready for the antiseptic?" she asked as she pulled out a bottle from Jacen's first aid kit and poured some strong-smelling antiseptic on a clean rag.

"I guess," he answered, his thoughts in a dream-like state from the Med-X.

She quickly wiped it on his open wound and dabbed a little on his face. "Something scratched you on your face, but it doesn't look too deep." He reflexively recoiled, but to his credit didn't cry out. "Here comes the fun part," she sadly said. "I'm sorry in advance."

"I'm sorry too," Jacen replied, tears forming in his glassy eyes. "I'm sorry I ruined your life by running away, and I'm sorry I couldn't save my father, and I'm sorry I can't put this entire fucking Wasteland back together again, and I'm sorry…"

Amata put her hand on his face and whispered, "Not now, Jacen. I need you to be strong; can you be strong for me?"

Jacen looked at her hazel eyes and smiled, fighting the fog of the drugs. "I'll march through the gates of Hell if you were on the other side, Amata," he whispered and saw her smile that broad smile that he remembered from when they were kids. His heart always skipped a beat when she flashed that smile, even in his current drug-and-pain-induced haze.

"Ready?" she asked quietly, tweezers in hand.

Jacen grabbed another rag, folded it up and put it between his teeth. He knew full well how much this next part would hurt.

Amata leaned down close to the wound and pried away some dry skin. Even in his haze, he took a deep breath and drank her in. _She's stunning,_ he thought slowly, the effects of the wound and drugs slowing his thoughts to a crawl. He was still partially convinced this was all a fever-dream and he was lying somewhere back in the sewers under downtown D.C, slowly dying. _If it's a dream it is a damn good one,_ he thought slowly, trying to string words together in his mind.

She saw the bullet hole – it was only maybe half an inch across and thankfully didn't look that deep. She softly pushed the tweezers into the wound as Jacen bit down on the rag and tried not to move. Amata moved the tweezers in the wound for a few agonizing seconds until she felt them hit something solid.

"Found something," she softly said as Jacen kept biting down, beads of sweat from the pain forming on his forehead. He never took his eyes off hers.

Several seconds later – although it felt like minutes – she started pulling the tweezers out. At the end was a bullet, flattened and disfigured. She put it in a small metal cup on the desk.

"Almost done, gotta make sure there's no bits of clothing in there," she said, starting right at Jacen's eyes. He nodded quickly as she went back to the wound.

This time it felt like hours as she probed as Jacen tried not to move despite the pain. His jaw hurt from clenching the rag between his teeth. Finally she pulled the tweezers back out and at the end was a blood-stained piece of Jacen's shirt. Keeping it attached to the tweezers, she compared it to the bullet hole in his now-ruined shirt. The small piece at the end of the tweezers fit the bullet hole in the shirt perfectly.

"We're done, let me clean you up and you can sleep," Amata said as she used more antiseptic to clean the wound. She bandaged it up and wrapped the gauze around his arm and shoulder. "You want a stimpack for the infection?"

"Can't hurt," he replied after a minute of catching his breath. "Top drawer of the desk…there should be a few in there." She fished one out and slowly injected it into his side.

"Ready for sleep Jacen?" Amata asked slowly.

"Sleep with me?" he asked as he settled back into his bed.

"Excuse me?" she replied incredulously.

"Not…not like that," Jacen answered slowly, the Med-X slurring his words. "I mean sleep next to me…on my right side…so I can feel safe."

Amata smiled as she answered. "Ok Jacen, but you'd better keep your hands to yourself or you'll need more operations in the morning."

"A joke…from you…clever," he said. He was usually the one with the jokes. "If you want…I have extra…shirts and shorts…in the dresser."

"Good idea," she fished around the dresser drawer and found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Stepping into the hallway, she quickly took off her Vault jumpsuit and put on his clothes. She crawled into bed next to him after making sure he was under the covers and snuggled up alongside him as he wrapped his right arm around her supple body.

"Don't get any ideas," she softly whispered into his ear as she snuggled up closer.

"I wouldn't…dream of it," he replied lazily as the Med-X finally took effect and he nodded off to sleep, his breathing growing deep and regular within minutes. Amata smiled softly as she traced her fingers on his chest and arm before sleep overcame her too.


	9. Convalescence

**Warning: Explicit content and language**

Between the Med-X and the stimpack Jacen slept better than he had in weeks. He started stirring sometime in the morning. It took him half a second to remember that Amata was still lying on his arm asleep as he lied on his back. He tried to move as little as possible, but she was sound asleep, snuggled in his body under the covers of his bed.

He could feel one of her legs wrapped around one of his, and marveled at how soft her body felt in his arm. _There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now,_ he thought to himself. _Well, maybe one place else…_ he smiled and licked his lips at the mental images that thought caused raced though his head.

He turned his head and watched her sleep. Her dark hair was framing her face and she looked utterly at peace. _She's beautiful,_ he thought, not for the first time.

He slowly raised his left arm off the bed, testing how far the range of motion in his shoulder was. He was able to elevate it a solid foot or so off the bed until the ache in his shoulder proved too much to bear. Slowly lowering it back on the bed, he nodded with acceptance. _Not bad, considering how I was halfway dead twelve hours ago._

Being careful not to jostle her, Jacen turned his head and looked at her again as she slept in his arms. He breathed slowly, being careful not to wake her up. He wanted her to sleep in his arms forever. As long as they were like this, the outside world didn't matter. There was no Enclave, no Brotherhood of Steel, no Super Mutants, no Raiders, no lack of water, no nothing. There was just her, sleeping peacefully as he watched over her.

After a few minutes she started to stir. Fluttering open her hazel eyes, she looked at him as his breathing quickened. _She's even more beautiful awake._ "How you feeling Jacen?" she asked lazily as she snuggled into the crook of his good shoulder.

"Pretty damn good, considering I was on death's door until a certain Vault Dweller patched me up," he answered with a small grin as he tried to slow his breathing down. He didn't realize his heart was racing until he started speaking.

"You make a pretty good pillow, not gonna lie," she said as she wrapped her leg around his and pressed her body against his side. He signed with content as she traced her fingers absentmindedly on his bare chest.

"Tease," he whispered, his voice catching with nerves.

"You love it," she answered in a low, barely audible voice.

"I didn't say stop, did I?" he whispered back as he slowly rubbed his right hand on her side. There was still a hint of tension between the two of them, but it was far less so than in his room in the Vault.

They lay like this for several minutes, each using their hands to softly tease the other. Finally, she moved to sit up as the feeling returned in Jacen's right shoulder.

"Don't move," she declared as she straddled him.

"Good morning to you to Amata," he said with a nervous smile. He'd known Amata since they were toddlers, but she was never this open with him, and she certainly never climbed on top of him before.

"Don't get any ideas," she answered with a sly grin of her own. "This is strictly business. Let me see your shoulder."

He threw the blanket off as she slowly unwrapped the gauze and took the bandage off. The bleeding had stopped and the wound was nearly healed. He'd always have a scar, but he had a few scars all over his body. _The price I paid for exploring the Wasteland,_ he thought as Amata cleaned and dressed the wound, deliberately rewrapping the gauze around his shoulder to hold it in place.

Once that was done she sat up straight. She was wearing a shirt of his, one he'd picked up from a merchant in Rivet City. It was just long enough to barely reach her borrowed shorts, which were hiked up as she sat, showing plenty of her mocha-colored legs. He looked her over a few times in awe.

"Enjoying the show?" she whispered in a dark, sultry tone that lit Jacen on fire. He smiled a wicked smile and raised his body so he could rest on his elbows, pain in his shoulder be damned.

He must have done a poor job hiding said pain because concern flashed in Amata's hazel eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but Jacen put his hand on her mouth. "Shhhh. I'll be fine," he said in a hushed tone, ignoring the dull pain in his left shoulder. "Thanks for saving my life," he offered sincerely.

"Thanks for saving mine when you escaped. God knows what Mack would have…" Jacen moved his hand and cupped her face as she stopped talking and closed her eyes with a small sigh.

"Come here Amata," he whispered as he lay back flat on the bed, keeping his hand on her face. He raised his left arm with a slight grimace and put it on her leg, rubbing the smooth skin on her thigh.

She leaned down flat on top of him until their foreheads touched, never tearing her eyes from his. For a long moment they were like this until Jacen craned his neck up and kissed her softly on her lips.

She kissed him back, softly at first. The kisses were shallow until Amata shifted her hips and leaned closer. He softly moaned in her mouth as their tongues met. After a few minutes of kissing she sat back up and licked her bottom lip. _She's beautiful…how lucky am I?_ he asked himself again as a warmth spread through his body.

Jacen opened his mouth in concern when she didn't kiss him again – _did I screw something up? –_ but she put her hands on his lips, silencing him. She rubbed the two-day old stubble on his cheek as he melted into her touch, his eyes fluttering. Suddenly she moved her hands and rubbed both of them on his taut chest and stomach. "Keeping in shape I see," she purred and licked her full, red lips again.

"Do that again," he demanded. "The lips." She sensually licked them and he felt his body warm some more. "God Amata, you are stunning, you know that?"

She responded by slowly taking her borrowed shirt off as Jacen moved his hand up her stomach. He grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed as she closed her eyes in pleasure. She leaned back down to kiss him again; this time the kiss was pure passion as she grinded her breasts into his chest. Jacen reached behind her and slipped his hand under her shorts, finding she wasn't wearing any underwear. He smiled between kisses as he rubbed her lower back and hips as she moaned in his mouth.

"Jacen…this is my first…" she started speaking before he kissed her again.

"Me too," he said with a shy smile. "Couldn't ask for anyone else, Amata."

She sat up, straddling his half-hard member under his leggings and bit her lip in pleasure. He rubbed his hands on the outside of her shorts in front as she signed and kept grinding her hips into his.

"We're wearing _far_ too much clothing right now," he softly whispered as she nodded. She stood up next to the bed and slipped off her shorts at the same time he took off his leggings. Crawling back into bed, she pressed up against his right side in the same position they fell asleep in the night before.

"Just…hold me…for a minute or two Jacen," she purred into his ear, licking and kissing from his earlobe down his jaw line.

His entire body was tense from anticipation but he wanted to hold her nakedness, so he wrapped his arm around her as she threw a leg over his, brushing her sex against his thigh as she sighed again.

"You are breathtaking," he said in a low, primal tone.

"So are you," she answered, kissing his jaw again. After a few moments she straddled him again as his unit was rubbing up against hers, bolts of pleasure coursing through him. She gingerly grabbed him at the base and on instinct eased herself into him, slowly, one part at a time, until he was buried to the hilt.

"Whoa," he said with a smile, half-lidded eyes looking at his beautiful Amata. Her eyes were closed and a small smile crept up her face. _This is somehow even better than I imagined it would be,_ he thought with wonder.

After a few moments to adjust to the feeling of him inside her, she began rocking back and forth, soft sighs escaping her clenched lips. Jacen instinctively rocked back and forth as well. Amata reached down with her hand and started rubbing herself until Jacen replaced her hand with his, feeling her wetness and softness. "Tell me what you like and I'll do it for you," he offered.

She guided his hand until his thumb reached her nub just above her entrance. "There," she whispered. "Rub there, in circles, slowly." Jacen did as he was told, softly rubbing his thumb on her exposed nub. Within seconds, loud moans escaped Amata's lips as she leaned down to kiss him. Jacen was lost, his world consisted nothing but her and the pleasure they were giving each other.

"Faster, Jacen, please…faster" she begged between kisses. Jacen raised his hips and slammed into her, rubbing her at the same time. Her eyes grew wide as she rested her forehead against his, her soft moans and sighs growing louder with each thrust. Jacen was savoring everything, every thrust, every kiss, every moan, trying like hell to stretch the feelings out.

"Fuck Amata, you are incredible," he grunted between thrusts. He kept rubbing until her body froze, quivered and then exploded, contracting around him as she arched her back and kissed him again, deeper and more passionate than ever. That was all he needed. "Oh fuck, I'm…" she cut him off with another kiss as he came, driving deep inside her. Bright lights circled his vision as every nerve in his body was frayed in the best possible way.

She kissed him again, softly, as they both came down from their highs. "That…was…" she began, and then kissed him again.

"…incredible, Amata," he finished her thoughts between breaths as he wrapped his good arm around her. She snuggled up against him as he held her close, running his hand though her dark hair as she traced her fingers on his chest.


	10. Breakfast for two

"So…what _are_ you doing here in Megaton?" Jacen asked as he kept running his right hand through her dark, slightly damp hair.

"I wanted to see the world for myself," she answered lazily, keeping her hand on his chest. "I spent my entire life in that Vault, I wanted to take a look outside the first chance I could get."

"Did your eyes hurt the first time you saw the sun?" Jacen blinked, remembering the first time he saw natural daylight and how it took a few minutes for his untested eyes to focus.

"Yeah…it was blinding the first time," she remembered. "Then when our eyes adjusted we remembered you telling us about Megaton and came into town last night."

"We?" Jacen asked.

"Freddie Gomez and I. I don't quite trust security enough yet, so I took Freddie with me. He's good in a fight and I trust him."

Jacen nodded. "Makes sense. Plus the route from the Vault to here is pretty tame as far as the Wasteland goes."

"We got to Megaton about an hour before you came back," she continued in a low voice. "We met Sherriff Simms; he was kind enough to offer us space for the night at his place once we told him we knew you. Freddie turned in right away and I was eating dinner with Simms next to that giant bomb when you showed up."

"I ruin everything," Jacen grinned. "Sorry I interrupted your hot date."

"My night turned out ok, at least once you stopped babbling," she replied, snuggling closer.

"My morning turned out better than my evening," he replied, kissing her forehead softly.

"Mine too."

"How's the Vault?" he asked after another minute of two of silence.

"Things have settled down, we're getting back to normal," she answered, still tracing patterns into his chest and stomach. "Most people accepted my ascension as Overseer."

"Two hundred years of brainwashing will do that," he offered.

"Probably," she honestly replied. "I'll take every advantage I can get at this point."

After another silent minute Jacen felt his stomach rumble. He realized he hadn't eaten since before his patrol from the Citadel the afternoon before. _Hope Dusk, Kodiak and Gallows are all ok,_ he thought with a start. He'd completely forgotten about the Brotherhood Knights he was patrolling with the day before. _They could take care of themselves, probably better than I could at this point._

"What are you thinking of Jacen?" Amata asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Friends from the Citadel. We got separated right after I was shot."

"These are the Brotherhood of Iron guys you were telling me about?"

"Steel, not Iron," he gently corrected. "They're good people, they care about the Wasteland, and they like me, so I've got that going for me."

"I have so much to learn about the Wasteland," Amata said absentmindedly.

"Come on, I'll make you breakfast and show you the rest of the house," he said, and they got up and put some clothing on – him a pair of shorts, her the same shorts and shirt from last night. Making their way downstairs, she gasped at the long table in the main room that was covered in all sorts of weaponry.

"See anything you like?" he said as he put a pot of purified water on the small stove in the kitchenette under the stairs to boil and grabbed some salted pork, a bit of dehydrated onions and some oil from the cupboard. Taking a knife he cut up the pork and onions, wincing in pain from his still-recuperating shoulder, and set them to the side as he turned another burner on the stove and put the oil in a pan.

The water began boiling and he opened a box of flat noodles. Breaking the noodles in his hands, he threw them in the water and lowered the burner so it wouldn't boil over. The oil in the pan was starting to pop with heat and he put the pork, onions and a pinch of salt and pepper, taking care not to let the oil spatter over on his exposed chest. _Made that mistake before,_ he thought with a grin as he recalled the first time he sautéed with no shirt on.

Amata came into the kitchen area as the smell of cooked pork and onions wafted through the first floor. "What's for breakfast?" she asked as she wrapped both arms around him as he stirred the sautéing pork and onions with a wooden spoon.

"Strain that if you don't mind," he said, pointing to the pot of noodles. Amata looked around, saw a colander hanging nearby and strained the noodles, putting them back in the pot on top of the stove after turning their burner off.

Jacen lowered the heat on the sauté pan and poured the noodles on top of the pork and onions. He quickly stirred the noodles with the rest of the food and used the side of the spoon to break up the food into smaller chunks.

Amata looked around and grabbed two bowls from a nearby shelf. "There should be a bottle of wine under the sink in a box" Jacen said as he turned the heat off and removed the pan from the stovetop. Amata fished it out and found a pair of glasses and opened the wine. Jacen remembered reading about wine with cork tops, but Wasteland wine was screwed shut, like all Wasteland-brewed liquors.

There was a small open space at the end of the long table where Amata set the bowls and wine. Jacen brought the pan over and poured the noodles into the two bowls as Amata poured out the wine. Finally, Jacen sat down and raised his glass.

"To us," he toasted.

She clinked the glass. "And the people who count on us."

"Not bad Jacen," she said as she ate. "Pretty good actually," she said with a smile between forkfuls of noodles and pork, sipping on the wine.

Amata grabbed a small pistol off the table and waved it around in her hand, looking it over. "You like it?" Jacen asked between bites.

"Yeah, I do," she answered after looking at it for a minute. "I need to get one while I'm here in town. I think it would suit me just fine."

"Keep it," he offered. "I'll get another one for the collection. They're pretty common among the Raiders to be honest."

"I can't keep it, it's yours," she put the gun back down on the table

"I would sleep better knowing you were armed, Amata. This place is dangerous. Take it…for me," he insisted.

He stood up and went to a small bookshelf at the foot of the stairs. Squatting down, he looked at one of the shelves until he pulled out a small green box. Returning to his seat, he opened it and showed Amata. ".32 caliber ammo, about thirty rounds worth. You gotta load 'em manually, one bullet in each chamber. This one has auto-fire, so you don't need to worry about cocking the hammer back like in the old Westerns we grew up watching in the Vault."

Amata softly smiled again and leaned over the table and kissed him on the cheek. "You've been looking out for me since we were kids, Jacen. Don't think I never appreciated it all those years," she whispered.

"You deserved it and more," he answered warmly. "Let's clean up and I'll show you the rest of the house."

"I'll wash up, you cooked," she offered. She quickly cleaned up and joined Jacen back in the main room.


	11. A house tour

The downstairs room had the aforementioned table, covered almost entirely with weapons. Amata looked over the weapons and picked up a plasma pistol. "Where did you get this?" she asked with wonder. "Looks like something out of a comic book."

"Remember I told you about the Enclave?"

"Yeah, the guys in black armor who are no good."

"They killed innocent scientists just to make my dad help them. That was right before he…" Jacen started tearing up uncontrollably and Amata walked around the table and gave him a hug as he cried in her arms.

"Sorry," he sheepishly said after a few minutes, tears still filling his eyes.

She just hugged him closer and rubbed her hands over his back. "It'll be ok Jacen," she whispered over and over as he grieved for the first time to another person.

He finally pulled himself together and looked her with red-rimmed eyes. "I'll kill them all if I have to," he vowed, steel lining his words. "Every single one of them."

Amata nodded once and kept hugging him. "Show me the rest of your house," she said after he stopped crying and the pair went upstairs.

"Cool motorcycle!" Amata yelled as she climbed on the seat and grabbed the handlebars, leaning forward like she was riding through the Wastes.

"You look like a badass on that thing," Jacen declared as an idea hit him. "Stay there, one sec." He ran to the bedroom and opened up the desk, moving some things around until he found what he was looking for. Returning to Amata, he held up the camera. "Smile!" he said as he clicked the shutter. "I'll get it developed in Rivet City."

"Is that the place that's on a ship?"

"Yeah. It is one big aircraft carrier, and is probably the biggest town in the Wasteland. They have everything…shops, restaurants, bars, a hotel, even their own private security force."

"Take me there one day?" she asked, climbing off the motorcycle.

"Of course. But you can't be afraid of the dark," he smiled.

"The dark?"

"There are two main ways to Rivet City. The most direct way is following the river and crossing one of the bridges, but that's way too exposed to Super Mutants from Downtown and Raiders from Arlington, not to mention one slip and you are knee deep in radioactive water from the Potomac. The safest way is the old Metro tunnels."

"So the tunnels must be dark," Amata replied.

"And haunted," Jacen grinned when he saw Amata's confused face. "Raiders, ghouls, even some Super Mutants. They all like the Metro tunnels. The Brotherhood sends out frequent patrols, especially on the old Red Line between Rivet City and the GNR Plaza…and I've lost you."

"I'm sorry, I tried to follow along but…"

"It's all good Amata. You'll get there. Took me a long time to understand how the tunnels worked. Thankfully the Brotherhood has marked the major ones, so follow the markings and you'll eventually surface either at the GNR Plaza or the Mall, both of which have Brotherhood bases."

They walked into the back room. Jacen had set up a couch, a small table, his Nuka-Cola machine and a jukebox he'd bought from Moira a few weeks back. Lining one of the walls was a bookshelf that attracted Amata's attention.

"You have a lot of magazines and books," she commented as she leafed her way through them. "Wait a sec…you still have this?" She pulled out an old copy of _Grognak The Barbarian_ and held it up. "I gave you this when we were kids," she remembered with a smile. "I can't believe you kept it."

"Why wouldn't I have kept it?" he answered. He touched her face with his right hand, rubbing her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb. "When I was at my saddest I'd read it and think of you."

Amata hugged him again. "I missed you every day you were gone. Hardest thing I've ever done was exile you. That's part of the reason I came to Megaton – I was hoping you were here."

"I deserved being exiled. All I did was cause trouble in that hole in the ground," he grinned, pulling her close as she carefully put the comic book back on the shelf. "But here you aren't the Overseer, you're just my Amata."

"I like the sound of that," she purred as she sat on the couch.

"Nuka-Cola?" he offered as he turned the jukebox on.

"I'll have a few sips of yours," she answered as he pulled one out of the vending machine and used the bottle opener sticking out the side to open it, setting the cap aside for use later.

The jukebox was playing Galaxy News Radio as Jacen sat next to Amata and offered her a sip of the icy drink. She drank some and snuggled under his right arm as the song ended.

"Who's that?" Amata asked as a man started talking after the song ended.

"That's Three Dog, he runs the Galaxy News Radio. He's a friend and he tells is like it is. As he would say 'Telling you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts.'"

Three Dog finished his weather report and started a news bulletin. "I've gotten word that a band of mercs called Reilly's Rangers were trapped on a D.C. rooftop, pinned down by super mutants. It would seem that a brave soldier named Theo was lost in the line of duty…but some of the others have been rescued. Do I suspect some Vault Dweller intervention on this one? I certainly do. Good work, 101."

"Wait, what?" Amata questioned as Jacen sipped the Nuka-Cola. "Are you this '101' he's talking about…What did you do?"

"Well, I was in Underworld getting patched up…"

"Underworld?"

"A city of ghouls inside the Museum of History on the Mall, by the Washington Monument." Jacen saw Amata's shock. "Ohhhh…don't worry. These are friendly ghouls. Try not to shoot 'em on sight."

"Good to know," she dryly replied, taking a sip of his Nuka-Cola.

"Anyway, I'm in the Underworld clinic getting stitched up – happens a lot, as you can tell – and this human woman in armor was passed out on one of the beds. I woke her up and she told me her name was Reilly and she led a group of mercs who were trapped on the roof of the old Statesman Hotel downtown, and if I rescued 'em I'd get rewarded."

"So you did?"

"I had to get there first. Bitch of a place to get to. Metro tunnels, a huge square, Super Mutants, Talon Company, the works. Actually that helped, as Talon Company and the Muties shot each other up, so I was able to get to the hospital without getting too beat up."

"I thought you were going to a hotel…why go to a hospital?"

"Oh yeah," Jacen replied with a small grin, snuggling her closer. _I love the feel of her body on mine,_ he though before continuing his story. "The only way to the roof of the hotel was to go through this hospital and walk across an old radio tower that fell and connected the hospital and hotel, like a bridge. So _that_ was fun."

"Killing mutants, sneaking around old hospitals, climbing radio towers…you are a badass!" Amata said with a peck on Jacen's cheek that made him smile with pleasure.

"Nah…the real badasses are the Rangers. They were stuck at the top of the hotel, running out of ammo and slaughtering mutant after mutant. Those guys were badasses, I'm just some kid from the Vault." He shifted and showed Amata a thin scar on his left side, running from just below the rib cage to his belt line.

Amata gasped. "What caused that?"

"A Super Mutant with a nail board who punctured my armor as we were escaping back down the hotel. Another infection, although not as bad as last night's. Butcher, one of the Rangers, killed the Mutant before he could finish the job, and then later sewed me up before the infection could get really bad. Like I said, those guys are the real badasses."

"But you got them out?"

"Yeah, all except Theo, who died before I got there, and Donovan, who was killed because I was stupid," Jacen said softly.

"What happened?"

"We were nearly out of the hotel," he began in a whisper, trying to hold back tears. "And Donovan was trying to fix this old elevator that would take us to the lobby and it was my job to watch his back, only there were three Muties, including a huge one. I dropped two, but the third got Donovan while I was busy trying to finish the job."

"Wait a sec, you killed two of them singlehandedly…why are you blaming yourself?" Amata asked.

"Because I couldn't kill the third."

"Come on," she replied, an edge in her voice. "You may be Mr. 'Lone Wanderer' and all that, but you can't be pissed at yourself for not being able to kill _three_ Super Mutants. Plus, Donovan was a soldier, and soldiers know what they are getting into the minute they sign their names on that dotted line."

"You sound like Reilly," Jacen said, still feeling guilty about Donovan's death. "She said more or less the same speech when we got back from the hotel."

"She's right," Amata answered, grabbing Jacen's face with both hands and looking straight into his eyes. "You can't keep beating yourself up over every death out here. How many lives did you save?"

"Two, well, three if you count Reilly herself. I got some meds from the hospital so Butcher could patch her up before her own infections became septic," Jacen answered.

"Focus on that Jacen. Don't focus on the lives lost, focus on the lives saved."

"But…" he began but was interrupted by a rough kiss.

"Stop beating yourself up," she ordered after another kiss, this one far more sensual than the other one. She broke the kiss off after a few moments and licked her lips again as he wickedly smiled back at her. Standing up, she pulled him to his feet and led them back into the bedroom.


	12. Scars

**Warning: Explicit content and language**

"Lie down," she ordered as they entered the bedroom.

He did as he was told. "I like this feisty you…sometimes," he smiled at her as she climbed on top of him, keeping her clothes on.

"That smile Jacen…" she replied with one of her own. He felt his breath catch again, just like it did every time she smiled at him.

She leaned down and kissed him as he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close. After a few seconds she sat back up. "I could do that for hours," he whispered.

"I wish we had hours," she replied sadly, rubbing her hands over his face and neck.

"Yeah, me too." It had been unsaid since this morning but something Jacen was thinking. _She'd have to go back to the Vault soon, and then what happens?_ He put it out of his mind until later. "But we have now, don't we?" he said, hoping she'd stay as long as possible.

"Yeah, we do. And I'm going to make you feel great," she promised.

"I feel pretty great already Amata."

"Wait 'til I'm done with you."

He reached up and started rubbing her stomach, working his hands upward.

"Nope," she said wickedly as she playfully slapped his hands away. "You'll get plenty of time to touch me later."

"I better," he said with an obviously fake hurt tone.

"This is your time Jacen. You are the one with all these scars. I doubt you got them in the Vault," she replied as she rubbed her hands softly over his chest and shoulders, being careful to give his still-healing left shoulder a wide berth.

He sighed with pleasure. "Your hands are…" She cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth.

"No more words for a bit. Let me take care of you, the way you always took care of me." She leaned forward again and they shared a soft kiss. She kissed her way down his neckline, kissing the short stubble as he melted underneath her.

She kept kissing, working her way down the right side of his chest until she found a small scar, one that looked like a puncture wound right under his nipple, near the ribcage. Kissing it deeply, she looked up at him and smiled as he was writhing underneath her with pleasure. "What caused this one?" she softly asked.

He looked at her. "That was a mirelurk. Big, two legged crab things with nasty tempers and nastier claws."

She kissed it softly and completely. "Feel better?" she purred.

"Yeah…lots."

She kept kissing his body until she found another scar, this one on his right forearm. It looked like someone drew a thin red line from one side of his forearm to the other. "What about this one?"

"The Brotherhood and I were on a patrol when we saw some muties. I was lining up a shot on one when a stray bullet clipped my arm. I always thought it was friendly fire, but it doesn't much matter."

She softly kissed each inch of the long scar as his breathing quickened from the perfect feeling of her lips on his skin. "How do you put up with the pain?" she asked softly.

"What choice do I have?" he honestly answered.

She shifted her weight and kissed him on the lips again. Their tongues met as they explored each other's mouths. _I could spend the rest of my life doing this,_ he thought as he smiled in the midst of her kisses.

Finally, she sat back up, trying to catch her breath as he moved his hands over her stomach and chest softly. _How lucky am I?_ he asked himself for the tenth or twelfth time since waking up next to the woman of his dreams.

She leaned back down and whispered in his ear. "Any more pain I can help make go away?" she whispered in a husky voice that made him want her that much more.

"There's a scar right under my belt," he whispered back with a devilish grin.

"Ohhhh," she licked her lips and smiled that beautiful smile. "Bet that one will take lots of kisses to make feel better."

"Lots," he agreed with an eager nod.

She began kissing her way down his chest and stomach as he sat up to look at her. _She's my everything,_ he decided as she pulled his shorts down and exposed his rapidly growing flesh.

"Lots of scars here," she cooed as she took him in her hand and started kissing it everywhere. She alternated between the member itself and his surrounding skin, layering everything with deep slow kisses.

"Wow…Amata…just wow," he tried to speak but found the words failing him.

"You like that?"

"Yeah…a lot," he said between breaths, his voice catching from the pleasure her kisses were causing him.

She kept kissing and licking slowly, up one side and back down, as he squirmed from the blissful torture her lips were causing. Finally, after a few minutes, she kissed the very tip and wrapped her full lips around it entirely.

"This…is…" he couldn't finish. She began bobbing her head up and down, taking more of him in her mouth as he thrashed around on the bed in pleasure. _This is incredible!_ He thought as he looked down at his Amata with half-open eyes.

A few minutes of this bliss were all he could take. He felt his release creeping up on him, slowly at first but it soon gained speed. "Amata…I'm going to…" he panted as she keep bobbing her head up and down, wrapping her lips around him.

She sucked her way to the tip and looked up at him with those enchanting hazel eyes. She wrapped her lips around the tip of his member and whispered, "Good" at the same time she flicked her tongue underneath his tip. That one action was enough to get him over the edge as he came, thrusting his hips into her mouth with a yell.

He fell back onto the bed as she climbed back on top of him. "You are trouble," he whispered hoarsely.

"I've always wanted to do that," she admitted. "Even better than I imagined it would be."

"Me too…thanks."

She took off her shirt and lay next to him on the bed as he slowly came down from his high.


	13. Role Reversal

**Warning: Explicit content and language**

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked, still catching his breath.

"The same thing you've been doing," she replied, snuggling on his right side. "You are the 'Lone Wanderer,' right? Hero of the Wastes? Celebrity extraordinaire?"

"I guess so. I'm just a guy from the Vault who's a good shot."

"Come on," she answered, a bit of exasperation at his modesty. He stayed silent. "Either way, you are a pretty good pillow," she purred as she snuggled into him closer.

"So what will you do when I drop you off at the Vault later?"

"You don't have to walk me back. Freddie will look out for me."

"Don't be ridiculous," he answered. "Besides, I need to head to this place called Lamplight Caverns, see about getting into another Vault out in the west."

"What's in there?" she asked, rubbing her right arm over his chest and stomach again. _She really likes doing that, but not as much as I like her doing that._

"Apparently a G.E.C.K., but who the hell knows for certain?"

"Why do you need a G.E.C.K.? Gonna try and create a paradise out here with it?"

He was impressed for a second she actually knew what a G.E.C.K. was, but then again, she was the Overseer now. Made sense that she'd know what a piece of Vault-Tec equipment was. _She's technically a Vault-Tec employee, after all, but I hope she's not waiting for a paycheck_ he thought with an inward grin.

"My dad and some other scientists were working on something called 'Project Purity' over at the Jefferson Memorial. The goal was to purify the radiation from the Tidal Basin and eventually the entire Potomac."

"That would be incredible," she said with a start.

"Clean, fresh water for everyone. We could finally rebuild, for real, just like they have in California."

"Fresh water means farming on a large scale," she realized with a start. "Which means real cities, governments, everything. The G.E.C.K. helps with that?"

"That's what my dad realized when he was trapped in Vault 112."

"Trapped?"

Jacen shook his head and leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. "That's not a fun story. Besides, we gotta get you supplies and get you back to your hole in the ground before it gets too dark."

"We have some time," she kissed back.

"Just enough time," he agreed, moving his arm out from under her and laying her flat on the bed. He straddled her and rubbed the soft part of his thumb on her cheek as she closed her eyes.

 _Breathtaking,_ he thought again as he kissed her softly on the mouth, working his way down her neck and upper chest, kissing all the way, leaving trails of soft wet spots on her mocha-colored flesh.

"Ohh Jacen," she purred as she grabbed his hair.

He smiled as he kissed around her left breast, drawing out the pleasure. After a few moments, he blew softly on her nipple as she shuddered. Finally he kissed it too and a long moan escaped her lips. He alternated between kissing, sucking and blowing on her nipples as she kept a grip on his hair and writhed beneath him in pleasure.

He kissed down her flat stomach and slipped her shorts off quickly. He kissed and tongued her body as he worked his way downward, breathing in her essence. He finally came to a stop between her legs as he blew gently on her exposed skin there as she shuddered with pleasure.

"I've always wanted to do this," he whispered. "Plus I owe you a little payback from a few minutes ago." He softly kissed her as her body quivered. "God you are beautiful Amata," he cooed as he moved his tongue up and down her damp opening, taking the time to softly kiss each exposed part of her as she gripped his hair.

Remembering their lovemaking earlier and how much she responded when he touched her small nub, he quickly found it and alternated between kissing and sucking on it. "Ohmygod" she huskily whispered. He put his good arm over her thighs so she couldn't squirm and move as he kept kissing her.

He was savoring everything, every taste, smell, sight, sound and touch. Jacen didn't realize until that moment how _hot_ it was to get her off, and he loved it. His lips and tongue found their way back to her nub and he continued his assault.

"Just like that…keep going…yes," she begged between breaths. "Jacen, slide a finger in…please." He smiled against her and did as he was told, perfectly content to give her as much pleasure as she gave him earlier. Once his fingers were inside, she rocked back and forth on them as he kept kissing her. Her moans filled the room as he could feel his own body warming in pleasure.

After a minute or so of this pace, she arched her back with a loud moan and grabbed his head with both hands and ground his face into her body. He lapped her up like a hungry dog as she exploded, her body grabbing his fingers while they were still inside her.

He quickly took his shorts off and came to his knees, positioning himself on her. He slowly entered her completely and leaned down for a kiss on her full, red lips.

"Jacen…you are incredible," she rasped, trying to catch her breath. He responded by kissing her again and leaning back up. She was lying down below him in all her beauty, a thin sheen of sweat covering her body that only added to his lust. He reached down with his thumb and rubbed the spot he'd been kissing a few moments prior. "There?" he asked with a smile as he began rocking his hips back and forth, driving into her.

She nodded quickly. "Just like that," she answered as she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him as close as possible. They continued this pace until he felt her somehow get even tighter, grabbing him in a vice.

Keeping his right thumb in place, he leaned back down and kissed her, then whispered in her ear, "Come for me Amata, come on, I'm right behind you."

That was all she needed. She arched her back and kissed him on the mouth, hard and passionately, as she reached her peak for the second time in minutes. _This is incredible,_ he thought again as he could feel her body squeeze around his member. Those vibrations were all he needed to climax with her, driving deep inside her.

He fell on top of here but was cognizant enough to use his right arm to support all his weight as he kissed her once, softly, on the mouth as he rolled off her. He pulled her close as she laid her head on his chest and listened to his rapid-fire heartbeat slow down.

"Wow," was all he could say. He was riding in paradise as he held her close.

"You…speechless?" she teased, kissing his chest.

He laughed a full-throated euphoric laugh that lasted several seconds. "Look what you do to me." He pulled her in close as his eyes grew heavy.

"Hand me my Pip-Boy please," he asked her as she grabbed it off the nightstand. He turned to the clock and saw it was a little before noon. Setting an alarm for 1400, he replaced it back on the nightstand and pulled her close as they dozed off, bodies entwined.


	14. Market Day

The alarm went off seemingly right after Jacen closed his eyes. _Hate when that happens,_ he groggily thought to himself as he stirred. Amta began waking up too, her supple body moving to sit up and get out of the bed as she rubbed her eyes.

Jacen turned off the Pip-Boy's alarm and sat up. "As much as I'd love to keep going, I think you wore me out Amata."

She leaned back down and kissed him sensually on the lips, exploring his mouth with her tongue. He felt a stirring in his body. She broke the kiss off and slowly licked her lips. "You sure about that?"

Jacen laughed. "No I'm not sure, I bet I could go again…but, as much as I'm going to regret this later, we really need to get you home before it gets dark."

"I know Jacen," she replied sadly, cupping his face in her hand. "Give me a few minutes to shower and we'll get moving."

"Shower's at the end of the hall, next to the other room," he said as she grabbed her Vault jumpsuit and walked out of the room.

He went to his dresser and pulled out a fresh t-shirt and a set of leggings to wear under his combat armor. He was about to put them on when he heard the shower running. _Why not?_ He thought to himself as he walked toward the bathroom.

Opening the door he saw Amata showering, her back to him. He sighed softly as he admired her body under the water. "You really are pretty," he declared, just loud enough for her to hear over the noise of the water.

She turned with a start, smiled and invited him in. He entered the shower, shivering slightly as the lukewarm water hit his skin. He reached up and ran his hands though her wet hair as she lathered up his chest, cleaning off his still-healing bullet wound on his shoulder. They washed each other off and Jacen kissed her softly as he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with a towel.

"Your water pressure sucks," she playfully teased as she dried her hair with another towel.

"This town is falling apart. You should see how much scrap metal I've sold these guys," Jacen replied as he let Amata clean and re-wrap his shoulder. The pair dressed and Amata helped him put his armor back on. She would rub her hands up and down his body as she delicately dressed him.

"You keep doing that I'll need to take this armor off and jump you again," he said with a grin.

"You want me to stop, Mr. Lone Wanderer?"

"No no no," he quickly backpedaled. "I'm just saying though. Speaking of armor, we should get you some at Craterside. I'm not a fan of the Vault security armor."

She nodded. "You've said that before. Is it not good armor?"

"It's not _bad,_ but there's better armor out there. Hopefully Moira will have a decent selection."

The pair made their way downstairs. Amata put the pistol that Jacen gave her and some ammo in her pack and Jacen stood in front of his weapons table and rubbed his hands together in thought.

He strapped his hunting rifle on his back and holstered his trusty submachine gun and combat knife on his belt, making sure to pack enough ammo for both guns. "Should I bring the assault rifle?" he asked Amata.

"You know this place a lot better than I do," she responded.

"Nah, I'll be fine," he answered after a minute of thought. "If I need one I can get one on the way, I think I left one in a shack out west."

"I trust your judgment," she said. She leaned in and kissed him again. "Let's go," she said after the kiss, a hint of sadness in her voice. Jacen packed a few things into a backpack and strapped it on his back, next to the rifle.

The pair exited the house and Jacen locked up. Heading back down the stairs and up to Craterside, they ran into Sherriff Simms.

"Jacen!" he said, shaking his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to you and Amata. Thanks again for the help last night," he answered, returning the handshake.

"I just dragged your carcass home. Amata did all the work," Simms said with a smile. "I'm sure she took excellent care of you." Jacen swore he saw a flash of a smile on Simms face.

"The best care, Sherriff," he said with a grin. _She blushing?_ He thought, stealing a glance at Amata. _Good…teasing her is sorta fun._

"Where is Freddie?" Amata asked changing the subject away from the kind of care she gave Jacen.

"Moriarty's," Simms answered and pointed to the Saloon.

"We'll pick him up after we shop," Jacen declared. "Simms, as always, a pleasure, but I better get her and Freddie back home while there is still daylight."

"Agreed," Simms answered. "Overseer, a pleasure to meet you…Jacen, try not to get shot again anytime soon."

The pair entered Craterside Supply and saw Moira bent over the counter looking at the plasma pistol Jacen sold her earlier that week.

"Hey big sister!" Jacen said with a broad smile. _Seeing Moira always makes me happy, she's just a positive person._

"Jacen!" she answered with a big smile of his own.

"Who's your Vault Dwelling friend?" Moira asked, eyeing her Vault 101 jumpsuit.

"Amata, the Overseer of Vault 101…Amata, meet Moira Brown, owner and proprietor of Craterside Supply, the best general store in the Wasteland."

"Jacen, you are too kind, and Overseer, a pleasure to meet you," Moira came behind the counter and hugged Amata.

"Good to meet you too," Amata replied warmly after the hug. "I'm told I have you to thank for keeping Jacen equipped and healthy."

"Makes it easy when he brings me so many interesting things to study…wait a second, why is the Overseer of Vault 101 in my store?"

"I'm opening the Vault for trade and supplies, and wanted to see for myself Megaton, seeing as how we are going to be trading partners."

"Ohhhh…more cool Vault-Tec equipment for trade!" Moira practically squealed with joy.

"We'll need supplies to fix the machinery down there, and fresh food probably wouldn't hurt," Amata said as Moira took notes on a small notepad.

"Vault-Tec machinery will be hard to come by, but I'll keep my eyes open. Give me a few weeks to stockpile some before you come back. What are you going to trade me for it?"

"Fresh, radiation-free water for the most part but our replicators can make all sorts of stuff once they are fixed…mostly medical supplies," Amata answered.

Moira nodded. "That'll do. Water and meds are always in high demand. We live in a thirsty, sick Wasteland apparently! Come back in…one month…and I should have some machinery by then. In the meantime, is there anything you need that I have now?"

"Leather armor for the Overseer and one of those men's mercenary outfits for her bodyguard. A holster for her .32 pistol wouldn't hurt either," Jacen answered.

Moira went into the back room where she kept most of her supplies. After a few minutes she returned holding a bundle.

"I have the armor and the outfit. I can make the holster in a few minutes. Let me see the pistol while you try the armor on, Overseer."

"Call me Amata please," she corrected Moira.

"Amata then…you can change upstairs. I'll make sure no one bothers you. You are right-handed, right?"

Amata nodded as she handed over her pistol, took the armor and went upstairs. Moira took out some cured Brahmin hide and started riveting it together with a small riveter. After a few minutes, she nestled the .32 pistol into the freshly-made holster, where it fit snugly but not too snugly that it couldn't be drawn quickly.

Moira attached the holster to another piece of Brahmin hide and riveted on a belt buckle she pulled out from behind her counter. Just then Amata came down the stairs wearing the armor.

"You look good," Jacen said with a small grin. It was obviously made for a woman, as it accented her breasts and hips, but seemed sturdy enough to protect her from the Wastes. The armor fit her well and she seemed pretty fluid wearing it. "How's it fit?"

"A bit tight up top," she honestly answered, "but nothing a little breaking-in wouldn't fix."

Moira walked up to Amata and kneeled down with the freshly made holster and wrapped it around her waist and drew the strap through the buckle and saw how tight it was on Amata's waist. She stood up, walked to her shelf and took out a small chisel and bored a hole in the belt right where the belt and buckle came together.

"Try that on," Moira said with a smile as she handed the holster back to Amata.

"Fits like a glove…thanks Moira," Amata replied, nestling her pistol into the holster.

"Armor and a holster for your pistol…you are a badass," Jacen said as Moira nodded in agreement. "You'll fit right in out here."

"So…the armor, the outfit and the holster…that'll be…oh…300 caps or trade," Moira said. "I'll cut you a deal Amata, seeing as how we'll do tons of business in the future."

"How many caps does this get me?" Jacen asked, pulling out a laser pistol he salvaged off a member of the Enclave during the escape from Project Purity a week or so prior.

Moira grabbed the pistol and looked it over closely. "Good quality Jacen," she said as she expertly examined the pistol. "This and fifty caps will do."

"That's Enclave tech Moira," Jacen said with a raised eyebrow. _No way is she lowballing me on that pistol,_ he told himself with determination. "I can sell that in Rivet City for 350 caps without breaking a sweat."

Moira looked at the pistol again closely. "We'll call it even Jacen, only because I know you'll get me more presents to play with later."

"Well, I plan on killing a lot more Enclave soldiers, so you'll have lots of shiny new technology to play with soon."

"Yay!" Moira exclaimed, as happy as a kid on Christmas morning. Jacen smiled, choosing to ignore the fact that she was overjoyed he'd be killing more men. Fact is, that thought made Jacen smile too.

"You need anything before we head out?" Jacen asked Amata. She shook her head.

"I'm set, looking forward to my new armor and a little target practice."

"That reminds me…Moira, how much for a box of .32 caliber ammo for the Overseer's gun?"

"A cap a round, standard price."

"How about twenty caps for a box of thirty rounds?"

"How about thirty caps for a box of thirty rounds?" Moira answered without missing a beat, in that same upbeat voice she always used.

"She's vicious," Amata said with an admiring smile.

"How about a box of thirty and two combat knives, one each for the Overseer and her bodyguard, for forty-five caps?" Jacen counter-offered, pulling the caps out and putting them on the counter as Moira got a box of ammo and two knives.

"Sixty."

"Fifty, and I'll go to Minefield and get you some frag mines after I escort Amata home."

"I can live with that little brother, the caps and the promise," Moira said with a smile as they shook hands on the deal. The knives already had small loops on the handle to secure them to a belt. In a pinch, someone could yank the knife and the handle would separate from the loop and reattach later. Moira herself developed that feature, and it really was impressive how easy it worked. He handed one to Amata and showed her how to fasten it to her new belt.

"A good knife is vital out here," Jacen explained as Moira nodded in agreement. Amata and Jacen left the store and Jacen took the lead as they headed up a ramp to the saloon.

"Why did you pay for everything?" Amata asked once they left. "I could have traded the supplies I brought."

"Payment for medical services rendered," Jacen answered as he leaned in and kissed her. "And I want to make sure you are safe, so I can keep doing that next time I see you."

"What is Minefield?" she asked after the kiss.

"I'm helping Moira write this book about surviving in the wasteland. One of the chapters is about mines and disarming them, and apparently there's this abandoned town chock-full of frag mines. She wants me to check it out and bring a mine back for her studies."

"Seems dangerous," Amata said with concern on her face.

"No more or less dangerous than anything else in the Wasteland," Jacen replied as they walked to the saloon.

Freddie Gomez was standing outside the saloon as the pair walked up. "Overseer…Jacen…I heard you were pretty messed up Jacen, how are you feeling?" he asked. He was wearing his Tunnel Snakes jacket over a standard-issue Vault 101 jumpsuit.

"Better, thanks. Hey, I bought you some gear to wear and a knife. You'll stick out like a sore thumb wearing that jumpsuit. Besides, this has more pockets so you can carry supplies," Jacen explained as he handed the clothing and knife over to Freddie.

"Thanks," Freddie seemed sincerely touched by the gesture. "I'll go change and then we can leave, if that's ok Overseer?"

"Sounds good to me Freddie. How was your night in Megaton?"

"Honestly, tough to sleep, but the Sherriff and his son were very nice, so I felt comfortable once I did sleep," Freddie answered then ducked into a nearby public bathroom to change. Coming out a few minutes later Jacen marveled at how different he looked.

"The look suits you Freddie," he said as Freddie pulled his gloves on.

"Agreed," Amata said. "In the Vault though stick to the jumpsuits, don't want other people to be jealous of your new clothing, at least until we get a chance to trade for some."

"You got it Overseer."

"Anything else you guys need before we head back to the Vault?" Jacen asked.

Amata thought for a minute before shaking her head. "Nothing I can think off. All I wanted from this trip was to talk to the Mayor and some merchants, so mission accomplished."

The trio walked out of town. Jacen pulled out his rifle and took point as the sun dipped low in the western sky. He checked his Pip-Boy and saw it was about twenty to five. _Should be back at Vault 101 before sunset,_ he thought, making the mental calculations. _Then I can probably stay at the old grocery store by the Jury Street Station a little to the west of the Vault before hitting Lamplight Caverns in the morning and looking for a way into Vault 87._ He put his sunglasses on and started walking.


	15. A Walk in the Park

The trio followed the trail north out of Megaton. Amata had her pistol in her right hand and Freddie had his knife.

"Do you have a gun?" Jacen asked Freddie

"No, just a police baton and this knife," he answered somewhat sheepishly.

"So you two walked here from the Vault with no firearm?"

"Worked out ok," Amata answered.

"Yeah, but don't do that again. New rule…everyone should have a gun _and_ a hand-to-hand weapon on them when they leave the Vault. Just makes life easier if you are packing heat."

They walked through the desolation of Springvale, the small town that was about halfway between Megaton and Vault 101, until they encountered a children's playground right where the trail curved west and lead to the Vault.

"Stop for a second," Jacen said quietly, scanning the road in both directions. "Something's not right here."

Amata and Freddie stepped closer as Jacen looked around. The playground had a swing set, a slide and one of those small carousels that children spun on. On the eastern side, away from the direction of the Vault, was a small stone wall a few feet high, likely the remains of a house.

"Get behind that wall, quickly," Jacen hissed, leading the Vault Dwellers to the wall. They ran behind the wall and crouched as Jacen kept his eyes on the road.

"What's going on?" Freddie asked. Jacen held his finger up to his lips, never taking his eyes off the road.

A few seconds later Jacen heard voices carrying on the wind. Around the bend of the trail were three men in black composite combat armor. "Stay down," Jacen told the others as he softly laid the hunting rifle by his feet and un-holstered his submachine gun.

"Sooner or later that brat from the Vault will have to leave Megaton, and then we can kill him and get the reward," the leader said in a guttural voice.

"Hopefully sooner," another answered. "I'm tired of waiting for him to grow a pair of balls and come out into the Wasteland."

Jacen smiled. _Time to make an entrance._ He stood up and brought the submachine gun up to his eye level. "My balls are pretty big you Talon fucks." The three men turned, but Jacen had already lined up the leader in his gun's sights and fired off several rounds.

The bullets hit the leader in the upper chest and head, and he fell to the ground clutching his throat and making raspy gurgling noises as he tried to breathe. Jacen turned the gun to the next guy and fired, but he had already dived behind one of the slides as the bullets missed. The third man brought up his assault rifle and fired, but Jacen had already ducked back down behind the stone wall and was smoothly reloading his gun.

"Stay here," he whispered to Amata and Freddie. The color was already drained from both their faces and Freddie was cowering behind the wall. Amata, to her credit, was calmer but still shaken.

Jacen peeked out from behind the wall. Neither Talon Company member could be seen. "Come on boys," he yelled. "I'm right here…come claim your precious reward!"

A noise from behind a slide betrayed one of the Talon Company members. Jacen looked around quickly. _He's over there to my left about twenty feet, his friend is probably over to the right. I can use the slide for cover once I get over there_ he thought and hurdled the short wall, sprinting over to the slide, gun at the ready. It only took him a few seconds to get to the slide and he could see the sun glistening off the telltale black armor the Talon mercs wore.

Jacen rounded the corner and slid feet-first as if he were sliding into second base on a stolen base back in Vault 101 as the Talon Company member came into focus. The Talon mercenary fired his assault rifle, but Jacen had already started sliding so the bullets whizzed overhead harmlessly.

Jacen could smell the lead from the assault rifle as his left shoulder reflexively ached. The Talon member, eyes wide at Jacen's unpredictable action, tried to turn his assault rifle towards Jacen's prone body, but Jacen had already started firing. The Talon armor was good but not good enough to stop the hail of bullets as he fell to the ground dead.

Jacen quickly got to his feet and looked around. The third member was nowhere to be found. _He's probably behind that carousel thing,_ Jacen decided, training his eyes.

"Come on out you Talon scum. Surrender your weapons and I'll let you slink back to whatever hellhole you fucks come from."

No response. _Smart,_ Jacen decided after a moment or two. He'd been trying to bait the remaining Talon Company member into saying something to reveal his position. _Was hoping this would be easier than it is._

Jacen kept his eyes moving in all directions trying to find the third man to no avail. After a few seconds he stood up and dared peek around the slide. _He must have run away in the firefight,_ Jacen thought, and headed back to the wall where Amata and Freddie were still hiding.

He was walking back to the wall when he saw Amata stand up with his rifle and point it right at Jacen. _The fuck? Why is she going to shoot me?_ Jacen thought to himself as Amata fired right at him. Jacen raised his gun up on pure instinct and was lining up to shoot her back when he realized that he hadn't been shot.

 _Behind you!_ His battle sense cried out as Jacen pirouetted around and extended his machine gun. He saw what she had been firing at, as the third Talon Company member clutched his throat only about ten feet behind Jacen. Before he could fire a burst, the Talon member fell to the ground dead.

"Helluva shot" Jacen said once his pulse slowed. "Thanks for that."

He walked back to the wall where Amata and Freddie were and saw Amata with a look of equal parts shock and horror sitting with her back to the wall, the rifle to her side on the ground. She was breathing heavily and her face was ashen.

Jacen pitied her because he knew exactly what she was going though. He crouched so that he was eye level with Amata. "Keep breathing Amata, nice and slow. Listen to my voice…In…out…in….out," Jacen said in a flat and soft voice, coaching Amata though her shock. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, looking right into her hazel eyes. Instead of returning his look, she looked off into the distance, staring at everything and nothing at the same time.

After a few minutes her eyes refocused and she seemed to come around. She looked at Jacen with tears in her eyes as Jacen's heart sank. _She needs you to keep it together,_ he reminded himself or he would have started crying too.

Jacen softly smiled and sat next to Amata on the wall and held her close as she sobbed in Jacen's arms, deep, powerful sobs that wracked Jacen to his core to see his Amata in so much pain.

"I know dear. I know it sucks. Just let it out. It'll be ok," he told her over and over again as he pet her hair and held her close. "Freddie, search the bodies while I take care of her," Jacen ordered and Freddie did as he was told with a look of sadness in his eyes.

After several long minutes she looked up at Jacen with bloodshot eyes. "I can't believe I killed someone," she finally whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Thanks again for that," Jacen said as he wiped her tears away with his hands. "I'm sorry you had to do that. That was pure stupidity on my part. I won't ever put you in that position again."

"Did that kind of…reaction…happen to you after you killed Allen Mack?" she asked quietly, holding herself together by a thread.

Jacen smiled softly as he spoke. "The adrenaline from the escape carried me to Megaton. I was talking with Moira at Craterside for the first time when it hit me, just like it hit you. I started crying right there on the floor of her shop. She carried me upstairs to her room where I curled on the bed and cried the entire night as she slept next to me and held me as I wept. Why do you think I love her like a sister?"

Amata smiled and Jacen knew she'd be ok. "Remind me to thank her for taking care of you."

Jacen kissed Amata softly on the cheek. "You ok to walk? We're half an hour from the Vault." She nodded slowly as Jacen softly pulled her to her feet.

Freddie walked back holding a pair of assault rifles and some ammo for them. Jacen holstered his submachine gun and hunting rifle and grabbed one of the assault rifles and a few clips.

"Keep the other one Freddie…you needed a gun after all." Freddie nodded and looked down the rifle, aiming it at one of the swing sets.

"We'd better get moving before more of them arrive. Don't have much daylight left," Freddie said his first words in a while. He too was regaining his composure – and the color in his face.

"He's right, let's get moving," Jacen replied and took point again, leading them west to the Vault.


	16. Exit Stage Right

**Chapter 16 – Exit stage right**

Thankfully the rest of the short walk to the door leading into the Vault was mercifully uneventful. Amata regained her composure quickly and the trio walked in silence.

Jacen opened the small door leading to the main tunnel of the Vault itself and let the others in, closing it behind them. They walked up to the Vault, this time Amata and Freddie taking the lead as Jacen holstered the Talon Company assault rifle he had appropriated.

Amata walked up to the small console and entered a code. A light flickered and the giant steel door groaned open, revealing the Vault proper.

"I'll leave you two," Freddie said as he started entering the Vault's entrance.

"Freddie, wait," Jacen said, offering his hand, which Freddie took. He pulled Freddie close and whispered in his ear, out of Amata's hearing. "Any issues down here let me know. Please look out for her while you two are down there."

"I've always liked you Jacen," Freddie answered with a smile. "I'm your man down here, at least 'til I escape and make my life outside like you did."

"As you can see, it is not cracked up to be," Jacen said with a smile. "The Vault needs guys like you to help it through this transition period."

Freddie broke off the handshake and entered the entrance, disappearing from view with a wave.

"He'll do well Amata," Jacen said as he walked out of earshot.

Amata responded with a hug. She ran her hands through his dark hair as he leaned in and kissed her on the mouth, softly at first. After a few seconds the kissing became deeper until she broke it off.

"Technically this is Vault 101, so here I'm back to being the Overseer," she said sadly.

"Apologies Madam Overseer," Jacen answered with a grin. "When do I get to see you again?"

Amata looked at the calendar on her Pip-Boy. "Moira said give her a month to get the supplies, so around then at the latest, unless I get stir crazy," she answered rubbing her hand on his groin suggestively.

Jacen smiled. "You'll be able to wait an entire month?"

"Probably not," she quickly answered. "Two weeks," she decided. "Two weeks from today, be back in Megaton, I'll come by for a night."

"Done," Jacen replied just as quickly. "You'd better go," he said after a kiss on her cheek. She nodded and walked backward into the Vault entrance.

"Bye Jacen," she softly said. "See you soon."

"Bye Amata," he waved as she hit a button and the Vault door swung closed.

He stood and started at the door for a long few minutes thinking about her and his feelings for her. "You should have told her," he whispered to himself out loud while slowly shaking his head.

"You should have told her," he repeated to himself as he walked out the door and into the Wasteland. The sun was almost below the western horizon as Jacen pulled out his assault rifle and started walking west.

Checking the area map on his Pip-Boy he saw he was maybe a mile or so from the Jury Street station, more or less due west from his current location.

Walking methodically so as to not attract any more attention, Jacen eventually made his way to the station entrance. He crouched and surveyed the area. The Metro station was in the middle, flanked by an old Dot's Diner on one side and a grocery store on another.

Whenever he traveled the Wasteland Jacen always tried to make sure he spent the night indoors. Whether it was in Megaton at his own house, Rivet City in one of the ship's many extra rooms or in the Citadel's A-Wing with Lyons' Pride, life was easier and safer indoors, especially at night.

However, that wasn't always practical. During his travels Jacen stumbled upon a few places out in the Wasteland where he could set up a small camp and catch a few hours of sleep here and there. The old grocery store next to the Jury Street Metro station was one of those places.

As he was walking down the hill toward the station he heard whispers on the wind. Jacen dropped to a knee and looked.

In the darkness he saw two large figures standing around a hundred or so feet from him, about ten or so feet from the Metro entrance itself. Jacen crept up slowly, keeping his rifle at the ready.

 _Super Mutants,_ Jacen decided once he got close enough to make the beasts out. The two were talking as Jacen slowly got closer.

"Too bad we killed humans," one grunted.

"Could have dipped them back west," the other answered as Jacen slowly raised his gun.

"Back in the Vault, we need more green stuff though."

"Running out of it."

"Yes, where do we…something is here!"

"Boring conversation anyway," Jacen muttered as he raised his rifle and fired off a few shots. The first mutant dropped dead right away, and by the time the second knew where the gunfire was coming from Jacen killed him too.

He stood and walked up to the corpses. Neither one of them was armed with anything other than nail boards, although Jacen did find a frag grenade in the belt of the leader. Grabbing the grenade and hanging it from his belt next to his knife, Jacen made his way to the grocery store.

He slowly opened the door and looked inside. The store itself was one large room with three shelves that had been picked clean long before Jacen ever made it to Jury Street. Seeing that no one was inside Jacen turned and locked the door leading back outside.

Jacen saw his resting spot for the night – a hole in the ceiling. Jacen slowly – his shoulder was still barking, but it was nearly healed – climbed up one of the old grocery store shelves and made his way up the hole into the ceiling.

Above the main room of the store itself was a small attic, maybe five feet high, spanning the entire store. On a prior visit Jacen found an old mattress down in the Metro station and dragged it up to the attic. He found the mattress still there in one corner. Next to the mattress was a small wooden overturned crate that Jacen used as a crude nightstand.

Jacen spent a few nights here in the past, and it was as safe as any other makeshift shelter in the Wasteland. The only way up was through the hole, and the only way to the hole was climbing one of the shelves on the ground. Jacen also found a few pieces of old metal sheeting and used them to cover the hole from the attic, so nothing could climb up even if it was creative enough to figure out how to climb the shelves – something that most Super Mutants, Raiders and radscorpions weren't able to figure out.

Jacen took off his armor and stacked it up next to the mattress and his rifles. He lay on the mattress in his leggings and t-shirt, submachine gun at the ready, and looked at the map on his Pip-Boy.

Thanks to the computer in the Citadel Jacen knew where Vault 87 was located, far in the west. He also knew that Lamplight Caverns, the only safe way into the Vault, was somewhere nearby. He'd heard rumors of kids living in the caverns, but dismissed them out of hand. _What are the odds a group of kids is living next to a radioactive Vault?_ he thought to himself as he took off the Pip-Boy. _No need for an alarm, I'll just wake up when I wake up,_ he decided, lighting up a cigarette and taking a few drags before saving the other half for later.

Jacen pulled out a small flask of water and a bit of dried Brahmin meat and had a small dinner before he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day and he needed as much rest as possible before getting the G.E.C.K. from Vault 87.


End file.
